Reinforcements
by ProudMudblood42
Summary: Middle Earth is in dire need of assistance with the menacing threat of Sauron looming over their heads. Who do they turn to for reinforcements? None but Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. T because the author is paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, world of FanFiction! If you are following me as an author and are following Reconfiguration, I would like to make a note that as soon as I finish the next chapter of that story, I'm offering it up for adoption if anyone is interested. NOW, we have that out of the way, so I shall introduce this! I've heard it said that if you can't find the story you want to read you should just write it yourself, so that's what I've done! I looked and looked for a Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings crossover featuring Ginny or the twins, and found absolutely NOTHING, so I wrote it myself. In future chapters, this _will_ be Ginny/Aragorn, you have been warned. If you know you'll be upset by that, click that little back button, return to the list of HP/LotR crossovers, and find another story that's more to your taste. **

**Basic jist of the plot: Nah, I don't think I'll say. That's what the story's for. :)**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. These amazing and epic universes of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings belong to J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien, not me, a lowly fan.**

**Also, if it's in italics, inside quotes, and not english, it's elvish.**

**Enjoy!**

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Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley were somberly walking back to the castle after the funeral of their beloved headmaster. He had been killed in a battle where Death Eaters infiltrated the castle. They appeared in the dead of night, Harry had warned them. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny fought alongside the Order of the Phoenix against them, and they barely made it out alive, but not without injury. Bill had been attacked by Fenrir Greyback. He wasn't a werewolf, that much Lupin was sure of, but he would never be the same. Harry said that Snape was the one who killed Dumbledore. That he looked him in the eye, and cast the killing curse, blasting the old headmaster off of the astronomy tower. The funeral was heart-wrenching. The white marble tomb... the phoenix song... the centaur's tribute... It was both sad and beautiful all at once. Ginny remembered how Harry had talked to her afterwards, saying that he couldn't be with her anymore because "she'd be a target." Ginny didn't care about any of that. She thought it was all a load of bull, but she let Harry think she understood. She didn't let herself cry until Harry had gone, but once she did, she couldn't stop, not until the twins came to get her and bring her back to the castle.

Fred and George had come back for the funeral after closing up shop for a few days, and now they took upon them the task of comforting their younger siblings, Ginny to be more precise. Harry and Hermione will take care of Ron. Fred thought. They were almost closer than he was to George. They'd do a far better job of comforting him than he and his twin ever could. They caught up with Ginny when they found her sitting in the grass by the lake, head in her hands, crying. He and George managed to get her to stand up and come with them back to the castle, after getting her to dry her tears. It was a sign of her grief that she didn't question what they were doing or where they were going.

At the funeral, McGonagall had approached the twins and requested that they and Ginny go to the Headmaster's office afterwards. They had nodded mutely, unwilling to say anything at that point in time, and here they were, finally upon the vigilant gargoyle that guarded the office. McGonagall had neglected to tell them the password.

"Acid Pops." George guessed.

"Lemon Drops." Fred tried.

"Cockroach Clusters?"

"Bertie Bott's?"

"Pumpkin Pasties?"

"Redvines?" finally they guessed correctly, and the gargoyle stepped aside. Fred started up the stairs, and behind him, George ushered Ginny forward. They were greeted by a host of empty frames. Every past headmaster had retreated from the office with one exception.

"Hello Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley." said Dumbledore's voice. Fred looked at the only occupied portrait and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hello, Professor." he said in greeting. Ginny nodded at the old professor, not trusting her voice. She thought it'd be comforting to see him again, but it only strengthened the hurt.

"I trust you are wondering why I have summoned the three of you here." he said. They nodded. "Well, I have recently been contacted by an old friend who is in need of assistance." Fred and George raised their eyebrows at Dumbledore. He continued his explanation.

"This old friend of mine is called Gandalf the Grey. He is a powerful wizard, but one of a different realm. By that I mean that he is not of Earth, but of another world entirely. Gandalf's world goes by the name of Middle Earth. In this world, evil is beginning to stir anew, and he has requested that I send him - reinforcements - for lack of a better word." Ginny's jaw dropped. Dumbledore was insane! If he thought them so strong, how could he afford to send them away? They were needed here, they needed to stay and fight!

"Professor, with all due respect, we can't just pick up and leave! We're needed here to fight You-Know-Who! We're on the brink of a war, and we want, no, _need_ to stay and fight by Harry's side!" Ginny said. Dumbledore gave the three siblings a pitying look.

"I admire your loyalty, Miss Weasley, but you must understand that Gandalf and Middle Earth are in dire need. We have countless wizards and witches here to fight for our cause, while they have only Gandalf and Saruman, another wizard of Gandalf's order." Ginny didn't like it, no, she detested it, but he understood. If this Middle Earth was dealing with anything like You-Know-Who...

"You are needed, and Gandalf is waiting for you. You will not be thrust directly into their war. You will have ample time to adjust to their world and their customs." he said. The three siblings looked at each other, silently debating their options. Finally, George turned back to the portrait of their recently deceased headmaster.

"We'll go." he said, "Can we tell anyone where we're going?" he asked.

"I am sorry, but I can't allow that. We can't risk this information getting into the wrong hands." Ginny's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. They couldn't even say goodbye?

"When will we go?" Fred asked. Ginny looked up at Dumbledore. She was always taught to respect the dead, but she couldn't help but be angry with the wizard - portrait - she reminded herself. He had the gall to take her and the twins from their family and friends when they were most vulnerable! Charlie was still off in Romania, Bill was just beginning to heal, Percy hadn't stopped being an arse yet, and Ron would surely follow Harry wherever he planned to go, even if it meant death. She doubted that Mum could handle the disappearance of three of her children, leaving her and Dad alone. She glared at the portrait dangerously.

"As soon as possible. You will not need to pack anything, you will arrive in a place called Imladris. It is the home of Lord Elrond of the Elves, and there you will find Gandalf. He rather resembles my brother Aberforth if I say so myself." Dumbledore said. Fred and George nodded, moving to either side of Ginny and taking her hands in theirs.

"Behind my portrait is the passageway. Best of luck to the three of you." he said gravely, before swinging his frame forwards to reveal a dark tunnel. Fred thought it resembled the tunnel under the one-eyed witch statue. He turned to face Ginny who had dried her stray tears and was angrily facing the tunnel's mouth.

"Ready, Gin-Gin?" he asked, using the nickname she hated in attempt to get her to smile. Instead he got a half-hearted glare. "Let's go."

Fred and George leaped into the tunnel, dragging Ginny behind them. "Lumos." George said, and a small light erupted from the tip. Behind them, Dumbledore's portrait slammed shut ominously. George took a glance at his sister and saw worry and fright etched on her face among her bravery.

"We'll be fine, Gin." he said to his sister. She nodded.

"C'mon." she said to her brothers as she took the lead, striding forward with renewed energy. She had lit her own wand and released Fred's hand, and they followed behind her now, nervous and wary, but excited all the same.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ginny guessed that they had gone about two miles when the floor started to get softer. Previously, it had been the hard cold stone of Hogwarts Castle, and now it was slowly becoming dirt. There was still a hint of a tunnel around them, but it was growing lighter. The walls were now closely growing tree trunks, and as they continued, they spread out until they were standing in the middle of a forest, their tunnel nowhere in sight.

Ginny huffed in annoyance. "Dumbledore said we'd meet Gandalf here. Well? I don't see any Aberforth look-alikes, do you?" she said before she turned to face her brothers, but instead of matching red-heads, she was met by a tall man in a grey robe, holding an equally tall gnarled staff. She looked up at his face and saw a long and scraggly grey beard an identical hair, bushy eyebrows, and a pointed and wide-brimmed hat. The man before her looked down with a smile. Next to her, the twins equally speechless, a rare occurrence.

"Excellent!" the man said. "You must be the ones Albus sent." he said jovially. Ginny's eyes widened, and almost all thoughts of home left her mind. Dumbledore had been telling the truth...

Fred answered for them. "Why yes we are! Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley at your service." he said, gesturing to each of them in turn and finishing with an extravagant bow. "You must be Gandalf." he said once he stood upright again.

"Excellent." Gandalf said again. "Are you three siblings?" they nodded. "Wonderful! Come, Lord Elrond is anxious to meet you."

They walked for what Ginny was sure was miles until they reached a city. Not just any city, but a breathtaking one. The structures seemed to grow out of the ground, they were so delicate. It was magnificent and beautiful. Ginny's jaw dropped in awe at the place. She had never seen anything like it. She and the twins followed Gandalf as they took in their surroundings, and before they knew it, they stood before a tall elf who Gandalf told them was Lord Elrond of Imladris.

"_Mae govannen_, Fred, George, and Ginny." he said.

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**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**** I'd like to thank everyone who read the first chapter last week, particularly animefanatic13, LittleNK, Maethorelen, and X-Random-X who have added Reinforcements to their alerts, Maethorelen and setsuna1415 for favoriting, and LittleNK for reviewing! Thanks so much, I'm glad you like it so far!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, they belong to JKR and JRR Tolkien respectively. :)**

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"Ginny!" Fred shouted after the red-headed witch. She had taken a leaf out of his own book and permanently dyed his hair purple. He was an amusing sight to behold. In the ten years since the three of them had arrived in Imladris, they had adapted reasonably well. As per Gandalf's request, Lord Elrond had taken on the task of raising them in the ways of the elves, and training them for their roles in the upcoming war. Whenever Gandalf was in the city at the same time as themselves, he would continue their magical education, and they were all the more powerful because of it.

Ginny had quickly befriended Arwen, Elrond's daughter, and the two of them, while opposites in personality, were as close as Ginny and Hermione had been at Hogwarts. The three of them had all been accepted into Lord Elrond's family as adopted children, and now they all saw Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen as their siblings.

As for their training, Fred, George, and Ginny were now formidable warriors, both with and without magic. They all favored the sword to the bow, but they had mastered each in turn with the help of many, many elves. The three Weasleys were now frightful foes, but somehow, Ginny was still the fastest runner.

Fred impatiently blew his now purple bangs out of his face and resumed his pursuit. He could easily fix this by cutting off all his hair and then magically regrowing it, but she still had to pay. She dashed around a corner and then Fred heard her footsteps stop. He rounded the corner where he had last seen her, and suddenly his arms and legs snapped together and his magically rigid body fell to the ground. Thankfully he fell with his face upwards. He glared at Ginny as she smirked at him. She had performed a disillusionment charm on herself before Fred had found her, and used that advantage quite effectively.

"Ha!" she shouted at him triumphantly. If looks could kill, Ginevra Molly Weasley would have been dead twenty times over. "That'll teach you not to mess with my arrows ever again!" Yesterday, after Ginny beat him in a friendly shooting match, Fred had seen fit to alter Ginny's arrows so they would only fly downwards. He charmed them so they would nose dive at the ground a meter from the target, and made the charm irreversible. To call her furious would have been an understatement.

Ginny was interrupted from her victory by a cough to her right. She turned and saw Aragorn looking at the two of them with an eyebrow quirked in mild amusement and confusion.

"Hello Aragorn." she said pleasantly. "Yesterday, Fred here decided it would be amusing to tamper with my arrows. I think this is a fitting punishment, don't you?" she gestured to Fred. Aragorn nodded in agreement with her.

"It was most foolish of him, was it not? You'd think he would learn not to test our dear Ginny by now." he said, a smile playing on his features as he looked down at Fred's frozen form. This was simply the most recent of retributions Fred or George had earned from Ginny. The sight of one of them chasing another through the halls of Imladris with some sort of physical disfigurement had become a common one.

Aragorn turned to Ginny. "Gandalf is looking for you. He has a task for us." Aragorn had taken Ginny on as a sort of apprentice, and she had been inducted into the ranks of Aragorn's rangers. They usually took on missions as a pair, since they worked so well together. Ginny nodded, and looked down at Fred, contemplating whether or not to release him. "He asked for Fred and George as well." he added. Ginny sighed. She didn't really want to release the wizard, so instead with a quick swish and flick, he was floating beside her as they walked to fetch George and meet up with Gandalf.

When they found him, he raised his eyebrows at the sight of Fred, and politely asked Ginny to release him. She grudgingly did so, and Fred fell to the ground, rubbing the back of his head as he stood up. He glared at his brother and sister, both of which were laughing at his expense. Gandalf cleared his throat, and they turned to face him.

"Ginevra, if you would please set Fredrick and his hair back to their normal state?" Ginny scowled at his use of her full name, but obliged.

Gandalf explained that he had just come back from the Shire, and that a hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins, the bearer of the One Ring, was to be leaving soon for Imladris. Gandalf had intended to meet the hobbit in Bree, but he needed to pay a visit to Saruman the White, and doubted his chances of getting to Bree in time to do so. He said that the twins were to accompany him to Isengard, and that Ginny and Aragorn were to go and wait for the hobbits in Bree, at an inn called the Prancing Pony.

Ginny tuned out as soon as Gandalf stated their tasks. She had a bad feeling about Saruman. The first time she had met the Istar, he had seemed kind enough, but she knew better. Experience had taught her long ago that the sugary sweet ones were those you had to watch out for. It was too easy to just put up a front of kindness and generosity to hide a rotten and twisted core. Umbridge was a perfect example. Absorbed in her thoughts as she was, she was startled when George tapped her on the shoulder.

"Huh?" she said unintelligently.

"Gandalf asked you a question." he said amusedly. Ginny looked up at the old Istar, completely oblivious as to whatever he had just said.

"Will you be ready to depart by tomorrow?" he asked her. Ginny nodded. Gandalf was satisfied with her agreement, and proceeded to tell Fred and George that they too would be leaving tomorrow. Ginny couldn't shake that uneasy feeling from earlier, an that evening after dinner, she went to talk to her brothers. She found them in George's room, Fred sitting lazily on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and George poring over an old map.

"Hey, Gin." he said. "Ready for another adventure?" Fred finished for him. Ginny shrugged. She sat down next to Fred and her gaze flickered between the two of them.

"George, Fred, I'm worried. I have a bad feeling about Saruman." she tried to explain. George's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Remember how, the last time we talked to him, he acted all nice?" They nodded. Did it seem almost too nice to you?" Fred shrugged. Ginny sighed in exasperation. "Fred, he was TOO nice. He reminded me of Umbridge." Now she had his attention. He clenched his fist, and Ginny could see the words "I must not make mischief." etched on the back of his hand. After finding out about Umbridge's blood quill detentions from Harry, the twins took the blame for a second year's dungbomb stash that Filch found. For their detentions, they wrote lines of "I must not make mischief," repeating the action for all their detentions that year. Their scars became as prominent as Harry's had been.

"Just be careful in Isengard, okay?" they both nodded.

"Same goes to you, Gin." George said.

"Yeah," Fred continued, "you're going to be out in the open, with Nazgûl on your tail. Don't worry about us." Ginny nodded and accepted hugs from both her brothers before leaving to get some rest.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Sorry this one was so short, I couldn't find a better place to split it. I promise the next one will be longer!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hello, Chapter 3 is here! HUGE thanks to Red red red ribbon and LittleNK for reviewing the last chapter!**

**This story _is_ AU, so if you're a purist who will be upset by non-canon pairings, I suggest you click the little back button, right there in the corner, and find a different story that won't offend you.**

**If you recognize it, it's not mine. I don't own the Lord of the Rings series, and I am not J.K.R. If I did... wow... that'd be a lot of money... Imagine! I wouldn't have to worry about getting college scholarships! *stares off into the distance, happily daydreaming***

***snaps out of it* Anyways, please enjoy the chapter!**

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It was dark and dreary the night that Aragorn and Ginny arrived in Bree. Ginny had her cloak over her face, concealing both her identity and her gender. She had donned her ranger garb in exchange for her light Elven dresses, and was heavily armed with her sword, daggers, bow, and full quiver. Aragorn was dressed in much the same manner, with his sword at his hip, and hood over his face. They bullied their way past the wary gatekeeper and entered the Prancing Pony Inn. Ginny approached the bartender and Innkeeper, a man by the name of Butterbur. The name made her think of home... Hogsmeade trips, The Three Broomsticks, the Hog's Head... She shook her head to stop the memories and paid for a single room with two beds. No point in wasting what little gold they had. She had learned in her childhood that money was never something to take for granted. Ginny approached Aragorn in his corner where he had settled down, his face still covered, puffing his pipe.

"You go on upstairs," Aragorn said, "I'll wait here for the hobbits." Ginny raised her eyebrows at him and though he could not see it, he could feel the disbelieving gaze on him.

"And how, may I ask, do you expect to find the room later tonight with the hobbits if you don't come up now, hm?" she asked logically.

Aragorn looked up at her with a withering glance. She returned it with a glare of her own. He decided that perhaps it was best go go along with her. He had seen her when she was angry, and it was frightening. Sighing and putting out his pipe, Aragorn rose to his feet and followed Ginny to their room. Once inside, she let her hood fall, revealing her bright red hair which she had braided down her back. She preferred to keep it hidden, to avoid probing glances. She would have transfigured herself earlier, but there hadn't been a point outside of Bree, and they had been in a rush, so it slipped her mind.

They deposited their belongings and Aragorn returned down to the common room. Ginny remained upstairs, worrying about him, Fred, George, Gandalf, and that poor hobbit with the Ring. She pulled her wand from a holster strapped to her thigh, and turned to face the small mirror in the room. She raised her wand and transfigured her appearance as she usually did in public. She turned her hair to a dark brunette and made her skin a bit tanner. In the last decade, she had found that full-on Weasley gingers were very rare in Middle Earth, making her stick out like a sore thumb with her violently red hair, pale skin, and freckles.

This was why whenever she left Imladris, she transformed herself into her alias, Aglaril, a Ranger from the North. Just as Aragorn was called Strider by strangers, this was the name she gave to those she did not trust, and if she did say so herself, Aglaril had built up quite the formidable reputation.

In her decade in Middle Earth, Ginny had focused on protecting herself and fighting without magic; her reasoning being that she wanted to keep her magic a secret as best she could, only using it if desperate, and so she could still fight should something happen to her wand. Thus creating her oh-so-formidable reputation as a danger to those around her. However, it was not just her skill, but the fact that she rarely smiled, laughed, or showed any sign of happiness unless in the presence of Fred, George, Gandalf, Arwen, Elrond, or Aragorn. She had been depressed when they arrived, unable to bear the homesickness. She buried her sadness under an impassive mask, only decipherable to those who had known her for her full decade in this world.

Since she was alone, Ginny let a tear fall for her family and friends back home. For Mum, Dad, Bill, Charlie, Ron, Hermione, and Harry. Her breath hitched, and tears began to fall freely. It had been so long since she had thought of them all. Ten years since she'd seen them. She was 26 now, hardly the sixteen-year-old child she had been upon her arrival, but no amount of time could heal this hurt for her. She let herself cry quietly for maybe five minutes before she pulled herself together. She wouldn't let herself show weakness. Never.

That night passed uneventfully. The hobbits failed to arrive that evening, so the two rangers resumed their watch the next night. This time, it was Ginny's, or Aglaril's, turn to await the hobbits. Aragorn reminded her that the one they were waiting for went by the name of Frodo Baggins, but that he would be going by the name of Underhill. Ginny nodded and walked downstairs, her hood covering her transfigured brunette hair. She approached the bartender and purchased a mug of ale to give her something to do while she waited. He eyed her suspiciously and he asked her name.

"You may call me Aglaril." she said coldly. She had to suppress a smirk when his eyes widened in response to her name. He nodded and gave her the mug without another word, and she retreated to a dark corner where she could watch the room easily without looking suspicious.

She sat for a few hours, watching guests come and go, noting the rainfall outside. Just as she was nearing the point of retreating upstairs, a group of four hobbits walked in. In front was one with curly dark brown hair and startlingly light blue eyes. Frodo Baggins. Behind him were his companions. One was a bit larger than the rest, with strawberry blonde hair, and the other two had blonde curls, looking nearly identical. She watched warily as Frodo paid for a hobbit-sized room under the name of Underhill and trooped upstairs.

Shortly, they returned downstairs to the common room. They ate and drank heartily, and Ginny was most amused when one of the blondes discovered the fact that 'big people' sold ale in pints. She had to stifle a giggle at the hobbit's joyful face when he returned with his precious pint, and quickly returned to her impassive façade. Eventually, one of the blonde hobbits got drunk and started to spout off stories from the Shire. Gandalf had taken her there on one of his visits, but there she had been Ginny the Red Sorceress, not Aglaril the Dangerous Ranger. Her eyes widened behind her cloak when the hobbit mentioned the name Baggins. She sat up stock still and watched as Frodo tackled the blonde to the ground, and in the process, the Ring slipped onto his finger.

Chaos. That is the only word appropriate for the state of the bar when Frodo disappeared. Under cover of this discord, Ginny strode to where she guessed Frodo to be. She was correct, and so she grabbed him and dragged him into hers and Aragorn's room. The hobbit put up an impressive struggle, but years of handling weapons gave Ginny the advantage of strength. She opened the door, shoved Frodo inside, and closed the door. She saw Aragorn putting out the candles from the corner of her eye, as she turned to face Frodo after throwing back the hood of her cloak.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, panic clear in his voice.

"A little more caution from you." Ginny said. "That is no mere trinket you carry." she said quietly and urgently.

"I carry nothing." Frodo tried to lie. Ginny raised her eyebrows at him.

"I can make myself unseen if I wish, but to become invisible, that is a rare gift." she said to him.

"Are you frightened?" Aragorn asked, coming up beside Ginny. Frodo said that

he was.

"Not nearly enough. We know what hunts you." Aragorn said gravely. Ginny nodded in agreement. They were interrupted by a loud bang and the door opened to reveal Frodo's three companions, the frontmost being the slightly larger one, brandishing his fists.

"Release him or I'll have you, Ranger!" he shouted, Ginny and Aragorn had subconsciously drawn their weapons at the noise, and now they sheathed them in relief and mild amusement.

"You have a stout heart, master hobbit, but you needn't fear. We are friends of Gandalf." he regarded her with suspicion. She motioned for them to enter the room, and she closed the door behind them.

"How do we know that you're friends of Gandalf? If we were to judge just on your actions, Miss Aglaril, I could call you a kidnapper!" said the same hobbit. She turned to Frodo.

"Do you remember a visit from Gandalf, when he brought along three other wizards, one of them a woman?" Frodo nodded slowly and cautiously. Ginny gave him a small smile. She raised her wand and removed the charms altering her appearance. She was returned to the pale skinned red-headed woman that Frodo had met eight years ago.

"Ginny?" he asked. She nodded, the same light smile on her face. Recognition dawned in the hobbits' eyes, remembering the three redheads Gandalf had brought to the Shire. However, the largest hobbit was still wary.

"How do we know we can trust you though, Strider?" he asked, evidently still suspicious. _Mad-Eye would've liked him..._ Ginny thought absently.

"What is your name, master hobbit?" she asked him.

"That's Samwise Gamgee, that is!" said the drunken blonde.

"Well, Master Samwise, do you trust me?" she asked. He nodded.

"Do you trust my judgement?" he nodded again.

"I trust Strider. Though he may not look it, he is a good and trustworthy man." she finished. She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Aragorn turned to face her with a mock accusing glance. She shrugged. They needed the hobbits to trust the two of them to take them to Rivendell.

Ginny transfigured her appearance back to Aglaril, and left to disguise the hobbits' room. The hobbits would be staying in hers and Aragorn's room that night to hide from the Nazgûl. Satisfied with her handiwork, she returned to their room to find the hobbits sleeping two to a bed, and Aragorn staring out the window. Donning a smirk worthy of her twin brothers, she cast muffliato on herself and the door so as to sneak up on the unsuspecting Ranger. She closed the door quietly behind her and approached him from behind. She stood on her toes so she could speak directly in his ear.

"Not often I catch you off your guard, is it?" she asked in a quiet voice. She backed away quickly and smirked when he jumped violently at the sound of her voice. He turned to face her with a dagger in hand, but relaxed when he saw just who it was that snuck up on him. She clicked her tongue and shook her head at him in disapproval.

"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings, mellon-nín." she said, amused by his reaction. He sighed at her antics and returned his attention to the window.

"Get some rest, Ginny." he said. She nodded, but placed wards around the room before she laid down on the spot of floor she had given a cushioning charm. Before she drifted off to sleep, she heard Aragorn explaining the Nazgul to a restless Frodo. They were worse than dementors. Their shrieks pierced the eardrums, their blades laced with poison. There were few things that Ginny was truly afraid of, but the Nazgûl were among them. "Merlin help us." she whispered into the darkness.

* * *

_That lying traitorous bastard!_ George thought about the traitorous Saruman. Shortly after their arrival at Isengard, the White Wizard had imprisoned Fred, George, and Gandalf atop Orthanc. He scowled. He was cold, hungry, exhausted, and Saruman had confiscated his staff. He still had his wand in the holster on his hip, but he was saving that as a last resort. Fred was unconscious beside Gandalf, who was weakly leaning against one of the four spires of the tower, his eyelids halfway shut. He motioned George over to him. He scrambled over as quietly as possible and held his breath for fear of detection.

"George, I want you to leave. Go to Lord Elrond and warn him of Saruman's betrayal, and then go to Ginevra and Estel's aid." he said, using Ginny's and Aragorn's lesser known names for fear of eavesdroppers.

"But-" George started to protest. He would not just leave Fred and Gandalf here to fight Saruman on their own! It wasn't in his nature. Gandalf silenced his protest with a shake of his head.

"No, George. You must make haste, and you are the only one here who can make a quick enough escape. Bring Fredrick with you." George nodded. He shakily rose to his feet, grabbing Fred's arm and turned to take one last look at the aging wizard.

"You don't want me to bring you too?" he asked. Gandalf shook his head.

"No. When Saruman discovers your absence, he will need a reason to stay here instead of chasing after you." Gandalf said. George nodded again.

"If you are not in Imladris when I return with Estel and Ginevra I will not hesitate to come back for you." said George. Gandalf gave him a small smile.

"I do not doubt you will. Now go!" he said.

George gave his mentor one last glance before he drew his wand and spun on his heel, disapparating with a loud crack.

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**AN: LittleNK, hopefully that answered some of your questions/confirmed your speculations!**

**If you liked it, let me know with a review! Reviews make me happy :) Also, I'm not going to pretend to be a Lord of the Rings expert, I'm still reading Two Towers... I've read the Hobbit and Fellowship, though. I have seen the movies, but I know that movies are never the same as the books they're "based" off of. So, if I get something grievously wrong, let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: And here we have it - chapter four! Thanks to darkofthenight and purple3snape for adding my story to their alerts, and thanks to LittleNK for reviewing! ****:)**

**I know I've said this for all the previous chapters, but I'm going to repeat myself: this story is VERY AU, I have taken some small liberties with the history of the canon, but more of that in later chapters... There WILL BE non-canon relationships, so if you are opposed to that, I'd suggest you stop reading this story now.**

**Another repetitive thing I have to include, I don't own Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, I'm just a fan who doesn't wanna get sued. That just made me think of the Starkid song, "we don't wanna be sued..." You, dear reader, should search that on YouTube. It is wonderful.**

**Anyways, without further ado, I present to you chapter four of Reinforcements.**

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Ginny and Aragorn were in the lead while the four hobbits and pony trailed behind them. Ginny heard the hobbits stop and she and Aragorn turned to face them.

"Gentlemen, we do not rest until nightfall." Aragorn said to them sternly.

"But what about breakfast?" Pippin asked innocently.

"You've already had it." Aragorn said simply. Ginny thought she knew where this was going. When she had visited the Shire with Fred, George, and Gandalf all those years ago, she learned that hobbits love food even more than her brothers do, and that was saying something.

"We've had one, yes, but what about second breakfast?" Pippin responded.

Aragorn blinked at the hobbit and turned back in the direction they had been heading. Ginny heard Merry talking to Pippin.

"I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip." he said.

"What about elevensies? And luncheon? And afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?"

"I wouldn't count on it." Merry said somewhat sadly.

Ginny turned to Aragorn as she listened in to the hobbits' conversation.

"Hobbits are used to eating seven meals a day." she said quietly so they wouldn't overhear. He raised his eyebrows at her. She nodded. She pulled an apple out of her bag, duplicated it, and with a chaser's accuracy, tossed them to Merry and Pippin. She was rewarded with two smiles before she returned her attention to the path in front of her.

They trudged through Midgewater Marshes, hiked through forest, and by the second night, they had climbed Weathertop, searching all the while for any and all signs of their pursuers. Aragorn had gone off to scout around the area and Ginny was about to place the wards around their camp when she heard a loud crack. Now, this crack could be one of three things, she thought. It could be lightning, but there were no storm clouds. It could be a whip, but she heard no screams. It had to be someone apparating. She tensed up and turned towards the noise.

"Stay here, and for Merlin's sake, be careful!" she hissed to the hobbits. They nodded absentmindedly, oblivious to her caution and panic. She sped off towards the sound, wand at the ready. "Homenum Revelio." she whispered. Someone was standing about five meters in front of her. She transferred her wand to her left hand and loosened her sword with her right. She cautiously stepped forward and came upon a man with shaggy red hair, wearing a long black cloak. He was facing away from her. Fred? George? She thought. She couldn't risk anything, though. She pulled a dagger from her belt and quietly came up behind the man, pressing the dagger to his throat.

"State your name and purpose here." she hissed. She heard him gasp when the cold metal pressed against his skin.

"Is that really necessary, Gin?" came George's voice. She sheathed her dagger and backed up so he could turn to face her. Nevertheless, she raised her wand against him.

"What did you promise to send me when I was ten years old?" she asked with a paranoia driven into her bones by both Mad-Eye and Aragorn.

"A Hogwarts toilet seat." he answered promptly, laughter in his eyes. Ginny lowered her wand and smiled at him. "Oh thank Merlin you're alright!" she said, throwing her arms around her brother. "Where're Gandalf and Fred?" she asked, releasing him. George looked down at his feet.

"Gandalf's imprisoned atop the tower of Isengard. Saruman betrayed us." he growled the last bit out of hatred for the white wizard.

"He'll be okay." Ginny said. She wasn't sure if she was trying to reassure George or herself at this point. "What about Fred?" she asked.

"In Elrond's care in the house of healing." he said. Before Ginny could ask why, they heard a loud and piercing screech coming from the direction of Weathertop. Ginny clapped her hands over her ears in an attempt to block it out, but to no avail. She turned and saw black horses and black riders. She froze in terror. The hobbits! she remembered frantically. Her face hardened, and she drew her sword and wand. Behind her, George did the same. With a cry, she raced back up to Weathertop, and found a wounded Frodo surrounded by Nazgûl.

"INCENDIO!" George shouted, aiming his curse at one of the riders. The wraith screeched again, and now Ginny and George were joined by Aragorn, who was armed with a sword and torch. Together they fought them off, killing at least one horse, burning most of the wraiths. Satisfied, Ginny turned to Frodo to see Sam, Merry, and Pippin kneeling beside him. She knelt down next to Frodo after gently nudging Pippin over to the side, and Aragorn followed her lead.

"A Morgul blade." he said, disgusted. He picked up the hilt of the Witch-King's knife, and the broken remains of the blade evaporated before their eyes. Aragorn slipped the hilt into his belt and began to inspect Frodo's wound.

"This is beyond my skill to heal." he said gravely. Ginny could detect the worry and fear behind his strong facade. "He needs elvish medicine."

"How fragile is his condition?" Ginny asked. If he was strong enough, she or George could apparate with him to Imladris, but she didn't want to risk him getting splinched.

Aragorn seemed to have followed her train of thought because he said, "Too fragile, I fear, for your instantaneous transport." Ginny nodded.

"We must make haste, then. For Frodo's sake." she said as she stood. George and Aragorn lifted Frodo onto the pony, Bill, and Ginny started to pack up camp. They were ready to leave, but Sam hadn't moved a muscle since they had moved Frodo.

"What's the matter, Sam?" she asked him gently.

"What's the matter is that I don't know who that man is who you came back from the brush with, and I won't be going nowhere until I know if we can trust him." he said stoutly.

Ginny smiled at him and shook her head a bit. She waved George over to them.

"Samwise Gamgee, this is George Weasley. He's a wizard, like Gandalf. He's my brother." she said. Sam looked down at the ground, and Ginny could tell that he was a bit embarrassed for his outburst.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, sir. I didn't know." he said, looking a bit abashed. Ginny looked over at George, and saw him grinning at the hobbit. He crouched down so he was eye level with Sam.

"Don't worry about it, Samwise." he said. Sam looked up at him. "It's always better to be cautious. I had a friend once who was so cautious and paranoid that he only drank from a flask that he kept strapped to his hip. He was a good man, and would have done the same thing in your position." Ginny smiled at them when Sam visibly cheered up. George had always been the more sensitive one of the twins, more talented at comforting others and making them feel better. George rose to his feet and clapped Sam on the shoulder. "Let's get going, then." he said and they started walking towards Bill and Frodo. Ginny heard the pattering of bare feet approach her from her right.

"Miss Ginny?" someone asked her. She looked down to see Pippin standing beside her looking up at her face.

"Yeah, Pip?"

"Did you really have a friend who only drank out of a hip flask?" he asked her.

"Yes, yes I did, Pippin." she said smiling. "His paranoia was worse than Aragorn's." she looked down at the hobbit to see him standing there with wide eyes.

"Really?"

"Really." she said. "Now c'mon, we need to get Frodo to Rivendell."

* * *

Ginny watched as Frodo was carried off by Glorfindel's strong Elven horse. She prayed to Merlin that he would be okay. Aragorn came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"He will be alright, Ginny." he said quietly in elvish. Ginny nodded. She was scared. She didn't want to lose another friend, not after Sirius, Dumbledore, and countless other companions in Middle Earth.

"I hope you are right." she responded.

In two more days, they had crossed the Ford of Bruinen, and were finally upon the city of Imladris. Ginny smiled at the hobbits' awestruck faces as they looked at everything they could. It reminded her of her own reaction to it ten years ago. She ushered them forwards, an they were greeted by Gandalf and Lord Elrond.

George sighed in relief when he saw Gandalf. He had made it out. Once the rest of their companions had left the three magic users, George posed his question.

"How?" he asked.

"Eagles." Gandalf said simply. His eyes twinkled at them, and it wasn't the first time that George had noted the similarities between Gandalf and his deceased headmaster. Ginny shook her head at them and announced that she was going to go and see Frodo and Fred.

Ginny quickly strode to the house of healing, and saw that Fred was sound asleep, but perfectly healthy. She smirked. Perfect... she thought. She pulled out her wand and performed a few tricky incantations, and now his skin was a violent shade of blue. Ginny turned from her brother's bed to look for Frodo, only finding that he already had visitors. All three hobbits, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, were seated at his bedside, with Sam holding his hand. Ginny smiled at the scene, fighting back memories.

"What are you remembering?" Ginny jumped and turned to see Aragorn standing behind her left shoulder. She relaxed.

"My brother." she said.

"Which one?" he asked. He knew that in her old world, Ginny was from a large family, the only girl with six elder brothers. Ginny walked out of the House of Healing, Aragorn beside her, before answering.

"Bill, the oldest. He was injured in a battle, and in the hospital, our family gathered around him, and my mother held his hand." her voice was thick with tears. Aragorn pulled her into a hug. He was used to dealing with her spells of homesickness. Fred and George had tried to handle it in the beginning, but it would only trigger their own memories. They'd try to joke with her, but it would never work on this sort if depression. Arwen had tried, and usually succeeded, but the task often fell to Aragorn when he and Ginny were on the road for ranger duties. He knew that the best way to help her was to just let her cry as long as she needed, just to wait it out until she collected herself. After a few minutes, her sobs had dissipated to light hiccups. Aragorn released her and held her at arms distance as if to inspect her.

"Better?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Hannon-le." she said quietly.

"You know it's nothing." he said to her. She looked up to give him a watery smile.

"Nevertheless, thank you." she gave him a quick hug before she retreated to her bedroom for the night. She smiled when she saw the full washtub. A bath was exactly what she needed right now.

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**AN: If you liked it, let me know with a review! Just as a FYI, it might be a bit longer than a week until my next update, my schedule is getting hectic with dance, church, and AP classes. Though it's more than likely that you're not even reading this author's note. However, if you are, you get to know that I'll try to get the next chapter up in a timely fashion :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello, my patient readers! I'm sorry that this chapter took me an extra week to post, I've been swamped with schoolwork and other activities. Anyways, the brunt of the final projects has passed, so I can finally get back to this!**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and/or added this story to their alerts!**

**I don't own Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, I'm just borrowing the characters and other pieces for a while so I can play with them :)**

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Two weeks later, it was the day of the council. Today they would decide the fate of the One Ring, and ultimately, the fate of Middle Earth as they knew it. In the time between their return to Imladris and now, the lives of the three Weasleys had returned back to normal, with a constant prank war being waged between them. Just yesterday, Ginny had shrunk all of George's clothing while he was asleep, and then in retaliation, he had hidden all of her shoes in various parts of the city. Ginny sighed. Didn't he know by now that she would just go barefoot?

Ginny pulled on a midnight blue gown and pulled her hair back, glancing at her wand. This was the only thing she hated about dresses, she had nowhere to stow her wand. She finally decided on creating a pocket for it, and proceeded to make it invisible to anyone but herself. Satisfied with her appearance, she cast a warming charm on her feet, and stood to leave her room. She heard a knock at her door and crossed the room to open it. She saw Fred and George standing there, both wearing dressier robes than was their norm.

"Ready to go?" George asked her, a little smirk on his face.

"Yep!" she said cheerfully. She lifted her skirt a little so she'd have an easier time walking, accidentally-on-purpose showing George her bare feet. She smiled brightly at his scowl, and allowed her brothers to escort her to the council meeting.

Once they arrived, all heads turned in their direction. Some started muttering about Ginny, others were directly talking about her presence, not bothering to be even slightly subtle about it.

"A woman?" the question reached Ginny's ears from all sides, and she had to suppress an urge to roll her eyes. When would males of this world learn that females are just as capable as themselves? One of the Men in particular was scowling at her. Never having been one to back down, she returned the glare. Eventually he got uncomfortable and broke his gaze. Ginny smirked to herself in triumph.

She glanced around the room and saw that nearly everyone was present. From her seat beside Fred, and two away from Legolas and George, she observed her audience. There were elves, men, and dwarves present, and despite their differences, they all looked upon Ginny with various levels of disdain. She was distracted from her observations when the last member of the council walked in, and took the empty seat beside her. Ginny turned to give him a mild questioning look, but Aragorn just shook his head. She directed her attention to Lord Elrond.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate — this one doom." Elrond paused, and looked over everyone in the room. He gestured to Frodo.

"Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." he said. Frodo timidly and reluctantly came forward and placed the Ring upon a pedestal in the center of the courtyard. Ginny recoiled when she heard the Ring speak. She heard a dark voice in her head and barely registered Boromir rising from his seat. He said something about a dream and Gondor, but it was overshadowed by the voice of the Ring... It said that she could use it... She could save Sirius and Dumbledore... Defeat You-Know-Who... Save the wizarding world, her home... All she had to do was take it...

She was at the point of rising from her seat when Gandalf's voice thundered out of nowhere, startling everyone present. "Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul! Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!" he said in the black speech. It startled Ginny and brought her back out of her trance, and now she stared at the Ring with hatred in her eyes.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!" Lord Elrond said, almost incredulously.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the black speech of Mordor may yet be heard in all corners of Middle Earth. The Ring is altogether evil." Gandalf said, before sitting back down. Boromir shook his head in disagreement with Gandalf's statement.

"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!" he said, most irrationally, Ginny thought.

"You cannot wield it, none of us can." Aragorn said, rebutting Boromir's proposition. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." Boromir opened his mouth to argue, but Ginny cut him off.

"Do you not see what it's doing to you already? It is corrupting you with greed and anger, and you have been in its presence for naught but two minutes!" Ginny said, trying to get him to see reason. Boromir sneered at her and Aragorn.

"What would a ranger from the North and a woman know of such matters?" he said scathingly.

"This is no mere ranger." Legolas said, rising to his feet. "This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." he said.

"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" Boromir asked, doubt clear in his voice.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas finished.

"_Havo dad_, Legolas." Aragorn said to his friend. Legolas reluctantly did so.

"But what of the woman?" Boromir said, turning to Ginny. "Is she a long-lost queen of Rohan? Or perhaps the princess of a hidden realm of Elves?" Fred and George's blood boiled in anger, and they started to stand in defense of their sister, but she shook her head. They reluctantly took their seats, allowing Ginny to fight this battle on her own.

"'The woman' has a name, and she is no royal. No. I am Ginny Weasley, the one and only sorceress of Middle Earth." she said. She drew her wand and aimed it at Boromir, hitting him with a langlock curse. His yes widened in panic, and he spluttered in surprise when his tongue adhered itself to the roof of his mouth.

"I am not just a mere woman, Boromir, son of Denethor. I am a fighter, a warrior - a woman, but a strong one. I will not stand by while men make judgements on my abilities or intelligence based on my gender." she glared daggers at him. Fred and George almost felt sorry for the man. Almost.

"Now, if you think you will be able to hold back any more chauvinistic comments, I will allow you to speak again." she said. Boromir glared at her, but nodded. Ginny removed the spell with a flick of her wrist, and sat back down. For a while there was silence while all the males regarded Ginny in a new light; some appraisingly, others disapprovingly.

Finally, Gandalf broke the silence. "Aragorn and Ginevra are right. We cannot use it."

Elrond nodded gravely. "You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." he said, surveying the room.

"Then what are we waiting for?" shouted one of the dwarves, and he stood, raising his axe and bringing it down solidly upon the Ring. There was a loud noise, similar to the screech of the Nazgûl, and Ginny closed her eyes to block out the sensations. When she opened them, it was to see a disheveled dwarf sprawled out on the ground, a perfectly intact Ring, and a shattered axe.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Glóin, by any craft we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." Lord Elrond paused, surveying the room once more.

"One of you must do this."

Ginny stole a look at her brothers and saw uncharacteristically stoic and serious faces. She turned back to the assembly. Boromir had opened his mouth again. Ginny mentally rolled her eyes.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor." he said. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly."

Obviously, this man didn't grow up with Fred and George Weasley, Ginny mused. She recalled something she told Harry once... "That's the thing about growing up with Fred and George - you start to think that anything's possible." they had been plotting a way to get Harry into Umbitch's office so he could talk to Sirius. She smiled a bit at the memory and was jerked back to the present when she heard raised voices.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" roared the dwarf, Gimli. Elves rose to their feet, then Dwarves, then Men. Gandalf tried to intervene, and when someone insulted the Istar, Fred and George joined the fray to defend their mentor.

Ginny shook her head at them all. They were acting like children! Ginny turned to Aragorn, who was one of the few who hadn't left his seat. She rolled her eyes at the arguing mass, earning herself a small grin from Aragorn. Ginny heard a rustling noise behind her and quickly cast "Homenum Revelio," to find three people hiding in the brush. _Hobbits..._ she guessed. Only Sam, Merry, and Pippin would be foolish enough to eavesdrop on this council. Ginny heard the noise die down, people began to retake their seats, and a small voice reached her ears.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor!" Frodo Baggins exclaimed. "Though I do not know the way."

Ginny shot her brothers a look. This was it. The task Dumbledore had sent them to accomplish.

Gandalf rose and approached Frodo. He placed a hand on the hobbit's small shoulder. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

Ginny nodded to her brothers, signaling their turn. She stood, and Fred and George took places on either side of her.

"Frodo, we were sent here to assist you on your journey. We are ready to help you bear this burden." she said, and they moved to stand next to Gandalf. Aragorn stood next, pledging his sword. After that came Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir, all binding themselves to the Quest. Before any other words could be spoken, Sam Gamgee burst from the bushes, running to Frodo. Ginny's suspicions had been correct.

"Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!" Sam proclaimed.

"No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Elrond said. Sam looked down at his feet, but Ginny could see a red blush. Suddenly, two more hobbits ran into the council. Merry and Pippin.

"Oi! We're coming, too!" shouted Merry, "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" he finished.

"After all, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest, thing."

"Well, that rules you out, Pip." Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Fred nodding in approval of their antics._ Merlin, why?_ she thought.

"Twelve companions." Elrond paused. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Great!" Pippin said, breaking the silence. "Where're we going?"

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**I hope this chapter was satisfactory! If you liked it, leave me a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hello! I'm happy to finally be updating! Finals are almost over, or at least my testing is. Stupid school district arranged our school year so we have to come back this tuesday. They're giving us a tiny taste of summer before we have to go back for what, three hours? at the most?**

**Oh well. Almost there! Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!**

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The day had finally come for the Fellowship to depart from Imladris. Ginny rose early that morning so she could get ready. After a quick breakfast, she treated herself to what she knew would be her last bath in a long time, and braided her damp hair in a single plait down her back. Looking at herself in the mirror, she decided that there would be no point in transfiguring her appearance, they needed to stay as far from towns and civilization as possible.

She opened her wardrobe and found a dark navy blue shirt and black breeches. Ginny had never been able to shake her preference for low-rise pants, so her breeches were always hanging low on her hips. Tucking in her shirt, she pulled on her leather jerkin. Next came her soft leather boots, old and worn, molded perfectly to her feet. Ginny grabbed her cross-body bag, which she had magically enlarged on the inside, and slung it across her shoulders so it rested on her right hip.

Next she strapped her sheathed sword and two of her daggers to her belt, and her quiver and bow to her back. She slipped another dagger in her right boot, and the fourth and smallest one, only about three inches long, down her shirt. She looked herself over in the mirror once more. A strong and hardy warrior smirked back at her from the glass. Finally, she grabbed her traveling cloak and draped it over her shoulders. She was ready.

Ginny strode from her room, her braided hair free from any hood, and went out to the forest. It was a place she liked to go to to think or to figure things out.

What was she doing? She had to help Frodo, that much she knew, but what of all the others? She knew she could trust Aragorn and her brothers through thick and thin, but what if they fell under the spell of the Ring? Like Boromir had during the council... Boromir. Ginny scowled a bit. She could tell that he was a good man, probably a pleasant one at most times, but he was so easily influenced by the Ring's power. That and he was a bit wary and cautious around her, ever since the council. Maybe it had something to do with that langlock curse, smart one... Ginny sighed to herself. She'd have to apologize to him, she admitted to herself grudgingly. They couldn't have any animosity within the fellowship. Ginny got up from her seat and walked back to the city, to the point from which they would leave. Nearby was a garden, and sitting there, Ginny saw Arwen alone and staring into her lap.

"Arwen?" she asked, getting closer to the elleth. She looked up a Ginny who saw tears on her friend's face. She sat down beside her and took one of her hands in her own.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Arwen looked up from her lap.

"Today is the last time I will see any of you," she said, "you, Ginny, Fred, George, Estel, Legolas, Gandalf, the hobbits..."

Ginny felt tears welling up in her eyes as well. She pulled her friend into a hug.

"Even if I wasn't leaving today, I wouldn't have been allowed to join you in Valinor anyways." Ginny said, "My magic may bless me with long life, but it doesn't make me immortal." Their magic gave Ginny, Fred, and George longer lives, akin to those of the Dunadain, but they were nothing like the Istari. Arwen nodded sadly.

"I will miss you, mellon-nín." she said tearfully. "Promise me you will not perish on this quest?" Ginny released Arwen and looked her in the eyes.

"I promise. Besides, have you seen who's accompanying me?" she asked. Arwen nodded, wiping away some of the moisture in her eyes.

"Do you really think that Gandalf, Aragorn, or my brothers would let anything happen to me?" Ginny asked. Arwen shook her head and gave Ginny a shaky smile. Ginny stood up and Arwen followed her lead; the rest of the Fellowship was beginning to arrive.

First came Fred and George, who'd had the nerve to introduce themselves to Boromir with the wrong names. That poor man would never be able to tell the difference between the two of them. Then came the four hobbits, Merry and Pippin were chatting happily and munching on apples, and Sam and Frodo were silent. Sam was leading a pony by the name of Bill. He'd been a sickly creature back in Bree, but under Sam's care, he was growing healthy and strong.

After the hobbits, Gimli and Boromir joined the group, closely followed by Legolas and Aragorn. Finally, Gandalf entered with Lord Elrond. They all assembled with Gandalf and Frodo at the head, and the Weasleys at the rear.

"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid, to go farther than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you." Lord Elrond said. Aragorn, Legolas, and the Weasleys all bowed to Elrond respectfully before they set out, Gandalf leading them.

They were nearly outside the city when Ginny turned back one last time to the home she had found in this foreign world. She could hardly bear this; leaving behind a family once again. Losing the people who had taken her in, cared for her, and befriended her. Her eyes started to well up, but for once, she didn't fight it. She let herself cry, silently allowing her tears to roll down her cheeks. She gave Arwen and Elrond a sad smile and turned back to follow the rest of the fellowship.

Ginny felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see George's worried face.

"Don't worry about me, Georgie. I'm fine."

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**Again, sorry for the shortness, I promise the next one will be longer!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hello, my lovely readers! Guess what. It's summer! Or at least it's summer break... It's not officially summer until the solstice. Anyways, I'm on summer break, so hopefully, that means that I'll be able to post more often! I'm going to try to get another chapter posted this week, because I won't have access to a computer from the 9th to the 16th of June. I'm going on a mission trip with my church youth group :) I'll definitely bring a few of my fanfiction journals with me though, so I can at least write while I'm separated from my beloved laptop.**

**As promised, this one is longer than the last! Enjoy!**

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For the first week or so, they traveled by night and slept by day. The dark and cold was miserable, and the light made it near impossible to sleep. When they made camp, Ginny, Fred, and George would put up wards to protect them: invisibility, silence, and repelling charms. It took a while for the Fellowship to warm up to the idea, having been more than a little suspicious of the charms at first.

_"Protego Maxima..." Fred said, pacing in a circle around them._

_"Muffliato..." George said from the other side of the fire, following Fred's circle._

_"What're you two doing?" Gimli asked them suspiciously. From her place by the fire, Ginny answered the dwarf._

_"They're protecting the campsite." she said simply, as if his question was one that was painfully obvious._

_"How does saying a few odd words protect our campsite any better than setting watch?" he said to her._

_"The 'odd words' they're saying are spells. They're protecting us and hiding us from unfriendly eyes." she explained. Gimli still looked mistrusting, but Ginny knew he'd warm up to the idea well enough once he saw it at work._

They placed these wards every night, and one night, a pack of wolves came perilously close to their campsite. They were wolves unlike anything on earth, massive and feral, their vicious nature reminded Ginny of Fenrir Greyback. These were wargs. That night, they had come close enough for the Fellowship to smell their stink, but thankfully, the wards placed by the Weasley siblings were enough to keep their scent inside their little bubble, leaving the wargs oblivious to their presence. They were praised that morning by those who had noticed the wargs, and their spellwork was never questioned again.

Once they reached open plain, Gandalf finally agree to their pleas for a more natural schedule, traveling by day instead. They trekked across the land, moving south around the Misty Mountains.

Another few days later, they were stopped on a rocky outcropping for lunch and rest. Merry and Pippin had eaten quickly, and now Boromir was helping them with their swordplay. Fred ad George were chatting with Gimli and Gandalf, discussing where to go from there and which path to take. Gimli wanted to go through the Mines of Moria, and Gandalf wanted to continue on their present route. Privately, the twins wanted to just apparate everyone, or at least Frodo, to Mt. Doom to get this all over with, but they knew it would never happen. Meanwhile, Legolas was keeping watch, Sam was busy trying to get Frodo to eat, and Ginny and Aragorn were watching the sword lessons.

"Be quick and agile." Ginny said, "Use movement when you are facing a stronger opponent." it was a tactic she used often since she usually had the disadvantage of being smaller and slighter than her large male sparring partners. Aragorn nodded in agreement with her. Merry tried to duck under a swing from Boromir, but was keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground.

"Move your feet." Aragorn barked. Merry nodded to show that he'd heard, and next time Boromir swung at him, he stepped out of the way. Ginny nodded in approval. Their little duel was going well, but then Boromir accidentally nicked Pippin on the wrist. He started to apologize, but before he could get the words out of his mouth, Merry and Pippin charged at him, tackling him to the ground.

"For the Shire!" Merry shouted as thy wrestled, laughing together. Ginny saw smiles on all three faces and couldn't help the one that grew on her own face. Their antics reminded her of happier and simpler times back home when her brothers would do the same. Fred and George looked over at the sound of their laughter, and quickly jumped into the fray, wearing wide grins. Somehow, Boromir extracted himself from the tangle, but his place was soon taken by Aragorn, albeit against his will. Ginny started to laugh at them and noticed how welcome the sound was to her ears. The past few weeks had been so damn serious...

However, as it happens with all things, this joyful moment had to come to an end, and it was a rather abrupt one.

"What's that?" Sam asked, looking up at the sky. The lighthearted wrestling match ended, and all the participants stood and followed Sam's gaze. What they saw was something grey and rippling in the sky, close to the color of a storm cloud.

"Nothing, just a wisp of cloud." said Gimli, who wasn't even paying proper attention to what was happening. Ginny took another look at the mass. It was larger and moved in a direction different from the clouds. It was darker than before and she could see the rippling more clearly thanks to super-sensory spells.

"It's moving fast..." George said.

"And against the wind." Fred finished.

Ginny nodded along with her brothers absently. They were right. She was getting shivers up and down her spine, getting stronger the longer she stared at the thing.

"Crebain! From Dunland!" Legolas shouted.

"Hide!" Aragorn yelled at them. There was a mad scramble as everyone tried to hide themselves and their belongings. Everyone was frantically trying to take cover from the crows of Isengard. Ginny grabbed two rucksacks, she wasn't sure who they belonged to, but it didn't matter. The important thing was to get everything and everybody hidden.

Ginny dove under a small ledge in the rock, partially hidden by a shrub. She held her breath as she waited for the Crebain to pass over them. The sound the Crows of Isengard made was deafening. Their wings beat against the air, thundering all around them as they cawed and crowed even louder. The sound continued for mere seconds, but the tension and nerves made it feel like hours. Finally, the noise began to fade to silence. She heard Legolas give them a signal, saying it was safe to come out. Ginny crawled out of her small cave, the two rucksacks on her back. Once she was out, Merry and Pippin came up to her, saying that the bags were theirs. Ginny handed them over, and began to search for her own belongings. The only piece of equipment she hadn't had on her person when the Crebain had arrived were her bow and quiver, and she found them in the hands of Gimli. She took them gratefully, strapped her quiver to her back, and stuffed her bow inside.

"The road south is being watched." Gandalf said solemnly. "We must take the pass of Caradhras." he said.

Ginny's jaw dropped. Gandalf was crazier than Dumbledore at times! Did he seriously think they'd make it over that Dead-God-forsaken peak? Warming charms could only do so much, and even if they did get across, they'd surely lose some fingers, toes, ears, noses, or even limbs to frostbite. She could only gape at Gandalf as he turned from the group to stare at the white-capped mountain. _Oh hell no._

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**AN: HUGE thanks to everyone who added this story to their alerts or favorites, reviewed the last chapter, and even added me! :D foxgodess07, BloomFanatic95, QueenGuin, Jovie Black, dragooner, Sarah310592, and The Lady of the Land, you all make my day with your favorites, alerts, and reviews!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! First of all, I want to apologize for the huge gap between updates... This chapter took me longer than I thought it would, thanks to a little case of writer's block... Anyways, here it is! **

**I realize that most of you don't read author's notes, but I just have to say something - As of tomorrow, June 21, I will be of age in Wizarding England! :D I am very excited. My grandma bought me two shirts from ThinkGeek. One with the Van Gogh painting from the Doctor Who episode "The Pandorica Opens," and one that says "The Dice Are Trying To Kill Me." In case you hadn't realized yet, I'm quite the geek... I watch Doctor Who... I play Dungeons and Dragons... I'm a band kid... I write HP/LoTR crossovers... Yeah. Anyways, n****ow that that's out of the way...**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, if I did, I'd be a very rich girl and have enough money to buy all the ThinkGeek merchandise I could ever want. And then I'd still have enough money leftover to feed a small African country for at least five years.**

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_I hate snow. I hate snow. I. HATE. SNOW._ Ginny thought viciously. Despite any and all protests, they had all been unable to sway Gandalf in his decision regarding their route, so here they were, climbing this evil and frozen piece of rock better known as Caradhras. Ginny, Fred, and George had performed warming charms on everyone, but it did little to help them. She tried conjuring scarves and hats, but they were as helpful as the warming charms. They were forced to keep warm with what little they had on their persons. Ginny stuffed her hands into her armpits and tucked her chin down to her chest._ Fucking FREEZING!_ she screamed in her head. It wasn't snowing on them currently, but her back was still wet.

_Ginny felt something wet and cold slam into her back, right between her shoulder blades. She tried to reach back to see what hit her, and she felt snow. She turned around to face her attacker and saw Fred's mischievous face grinning back at her. She snarled. Fred blanched. It was amazing how much Ginny could look like their mother when she was angry. She growled at him and packed a snowball of her own. Now Fred was scared. His sister hadn't been a chaser for no reason. She threw the missile with practiced speed and accuracy and it made contact with Fred's frightened face. Once he wiped the snow away from his eyes, it was to see a smirking Ginny, most traces of her anger gone._

_"Oh, it's on." he said. He packed another snowball and tried to throw it at his sister, but missed, hitting Pippin instead. The young hobbit turned to see Fred trying very hard to look innocent but failing miserably. Pippin nudged Merry, and soon the two of them had snowballs of their own, each aiming for a twin. They threw and George got hit, but Fred's missed and hit Gimli instead. Snowballs continued to fly through the air and laughter and cries of indignation could be heard from everyone. Ginny managed to extract herself from the fray to stand beside Gandalf, a safe place, seeing as no one had the guts to aim for the Istar._

My clothes are going to be wet for the rest of this trip... _Ginny thought miserably. She tried a few heating charms, but it just made the water warm. Eventually the snowball fight broke up, and they continued on their way._

Currently, they were far from that place low on the mountain where they'd been given a chance for a little happiness. No, now they were almost half of the way up and it looked as if it would snow soon. From her place near the front beside George, she heard a cry from the back. She turned around to see Frodo sprawled in the snow and Aragorn reaching down to help him up. Frodo started frantically reaching for something around his neck, panicking when it wasn't there. _The Ring!_ Ginny realized. Boromir picked something up from the snow and he stood up with a golden chain in his fist, the Ring hanging from it. Boromir said something she couldn't quite hear over the wind, but it couldn't have been anything good.

"Boromir." Aragorn said loudly, trying to break the man's trance-like state.

"Boromir!" he tried again, this time gaining the man's attention. "Give the Ring to Frodo." he said. Boromir reluctantly strode forward to the hobbit and handed it over. He ruffled Frodo's hair and turned back to the Fellowship. Ginny saw Aragorn's hand leaving the hilt of his sword, and was shocked to find her own hand poised over the handle of her wand. She shook herself and returned her attention to walking.

The snow got deeper. They had to resort to carrying the Hobbits so they wouldn't fall. Ginny glanced up at Legolas. He was walking on _top_ of the snow. _Bloody elves..._ she thought. She scowled at him. The snow was up to her waist by now and she walked behind Boromir, who who was shoveling the show out of their path. Fred and George were trying to melt the snow away with heating charms, but the show was falling so heavily that any progress they made was quickly erased. The snow had soaked through Ginny's pants, chilling her to the bone. She was past cold and now she just felt numb. She prayed that her toes weren't frostbitten. She started to hear a rumbling noise, and she could feel powerful magic acting around her.

"There is a fell voice on the air." Legolas said quietly.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted over the wind. Boulders fell just over the end of the ledge they walked upon.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn yelled at the wizard, "We must turn back, Gandalf!"

"Gandalf, this is insane! We can't go on!" Ginny heard herself cry.

"No!" Gandalf said. He chanted something in elvish, trying to combat Saruman's magic. Ginny could feel the pulse of their opposing powers fighting each other, struggling for victory. Gandalf was losing. Ginny heard another rumble and for a split second, she saw white falling down on her.

"PROTEGO!" she screamed out of instinct. To her panicked brain, self-preservation was of the greatest importance at the moment. At first, the snow hovered just above her head, but she was losing her strength to hold up the shield. She started to tremble, her knees were weakening beneath her. She fell down on all fours and the shield broke, the snow encasing her. She struggled for breath, but found none. Ginny started to see spots forming in her vision from lack of oxygen. She panicked, and would have hyperventilated were it not for the hand that found her through the suffocating snow and pulled her to the surface.

Ginny gasped and spluttered, gulping fresh breaths of air, and felt her weight being supported by someone. She assumed that it was the same person who had rescued her. She shivered violently, her teeth were chattering. She leaned into the hold of her rescuer. She looked up and saw that it was Aragorn who held her.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Thank you." she said. Aragorn moved on to the others to see if they were alright, and Ginny set about making sure everyone was out of the snow. After a quick head count, she was sure that the entirety of the company was safe, and she caught the end of a discussion regarding their route.

"...let us go through the Mines of Moria!" Gimli suggested.

"Let the Ringbearer decide." Gandalf said.

"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir shouted.

"Frodo?" Gandalf said to the hobbit.

Ginny turned to Frodo._ Merlin, he better not send us further up this fucking mountain..._ Ginny was not disappointed by Frodo's answer.

"We will go through the mines." he said through chattering teeth.

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**Thanks to everyone who favorited, reviewed, and added my story to their alerts! You guys are totally awesome.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hello! First and foremost, to my American readers, happy independence day! I hope you all enjoyed your fireworks as much as I did :) Second and not-so-foremost, sorry it's been so long... to Nia, who reviewed this anonymously, I most definitely have NOT abandoned it! I have more chapters written where this one came from :) You'll know abandonment when it's been a year since the last update.**

**I don't own Harry Potter or LoTR, if I did, I wouldn't have to save all of my money to buy a new iPod to replace my broken one.**

**Enjoy!**

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Ginny was extremely happy to be off of Caradhras. On their first night out of the snow, the Weasley siblings went about their routine of setting up wards and the company proceeded to busy themselves with mostly mindless tasks. They'd lit a fire and now Sam was cooking dinner, talking to Merry and Pippin; Frodo was staring off into space, lost in thought; Legolas was keeping watch; Gandalf was puffing on his pipe; Boromir was sharpening his already razor-sharp blades; Fred and George were playing with a pack of cards they'd magically altered, making them exploding snap cards; and Ginny was amusing herself with transfiguration. She had a small chip of wood at her feet, and was transfiguring it into a daisy and back. She watched as the chip stretched upwards, becoming greener and greener, and sprouting a bud at the top which opened into the small white flower. She made it open and close, like an oyster. She turned the petals blue, back to white, and then to a light periwinkle.

Ginny suddenly heard a small explosion coming from the general direction of her brothers. The rest of the Fellowship jumped violently, but after a lifetime of such noises, Ginny was not surprised in the slightest. A lack of explosions would be more disturbing to her. She calmly turned to see Fred trying to grow back his singed eyebrows. She shook her head at them, a grin on her face.

"Miss Ginny?" came a hobbit's voice from beside her. She looked over to see Merry and Pippin. It was Merry who had addressed her.

"Are you not worried about your brothers?" Merry asked her. Ginny laughed at the question. Almost everyone else looked over at her except for her brothers, who were too preoccupied with Fred's nonexistent eyebrows.

"For my brothers, explosions are commonplace." she said with a smile, "I daresay you've noticed their mischievous nature?" she said. The two hobbits nodded.

"Back home, my brothers made their living off of inventing practical joke materials. They had a shop that they started, and would work on their inventions at home." she said, "There were always blasting noises coming from their room. Actually, it was more worrying if there was no noise coming from their room." she said to them.

"What did they invent?" Pippin asked her.

"That, my friend would be a question better suited to the inventors themselves." she said, gesturing to the twins. Fred had finally succeeded in growing back his eyebrows, but his face was still full of soot. She watched them go over to the twins, but dread started to build inside her. George reached into his pocket that he'd enchanted with an undetectable extension charm. He pulled out a firework. Not just any firework, but a Weasley's Wildfire Whizbang. Ginny reinforced their invisibility wards as fast as she could before George could light the fuse. When he did, it proved to be one of their giant catherine wheels, and it spun around in circles around their camp and in the sky. The hobbits watched it in awe, and Gandalf was observing it appraisingly. Ginny had seen this all before, so she decided to take it upon herself to go on watch duty.

The night passed uneventfully, and in four more days, they were at the gates of Moria. They walked along a narrow pathway between water and stone with Gandalf at the head, searching for the entrance.

"Dwarf doors are invisible to when closed." Gimli said to them proudly.

"Yes Gimli, their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf said.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas said snidely to Fred and George, who walked on either side of him. Gimli grumbled at the remark, but kept silent. Gandalf examined a stretch of rock, and found markings. The full moon emerged from behind the clouds, and a beautifully designed door appeared on the face of the stone, glowing white._ That's convenient._ Ginny thought.

"The doors of Durin, lord of Moria. Speak friend, and enter." Gandalf said. He traced the carvings with his hand and then withdrew to stand before the massive doors.

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.

"It's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf said simply. He tried something in elvish that Ginny failed to understand, but it was ineffective. He tried again, something different this time, with the same results.

"Alohamora." Fred tried, aiming his wand at the door. It was just as effective as Gandalf's elvish chants. Ginny and George turned to their brother, the former with raised eyebrows, the latter shaking his head in shame.

"Nothing's happening." Pippin said disappointedly. Gandalf mumbled something to himself, but was interrupted by Pippin again.

"What are you going to do then?" he asked curiously.

"Knock your head against them, Peregrin Took, and if that doesn't shatter them, then I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions!" he said grumpily.

Hours later, they were still waiting for the doors to open. Gandalf's patience was running thinner and thinner, and he sat, hunched over on a rock, puzzling over the door. The rest of the fellowship was sitting between the water and the stone, just waiting. Aragorn and Sam were relieving Bill of his burdens, preparing to set him free, back to Rivendell. Ginny got up from her place, and walked over to help them. She unbuckled his bridle and stroked his nose, murmuring comforting words and directions to the pony.

"The mines are no place for a pony. Even one so brave as Bill." Aragorn said to Sam. The hobbit was sad to see his companion go. He had cared for the animal during their time in Rivendell, making him into the strong equine he was now as they set him on his way.

"Buh-bye, Bill." Sam said sadly. Ginny wrapped an arm around his shoulders. They watched Aragorn turn him free, sending him out of the narrow valley, back the way they had come.

"He will be alright, Sam." she said. She looked down at him, and then crouched down to be at his eye level.

"Bill's a smart pony. He'll make it back just fine." she said comfortingly. Sam nodded. Ginny pulled him into a hug. She rubbed his back a little as he buried his face in the crook of her neck before releasing him. He sniffed a bit and blinked back stray tears. She patted him on the shoulder once more, and stood up, returning her attention to the resilient doors and the equally persistent Gandalf, who still had no luck at all. She heard a splash, and whirled around to see Merry and Pippin throwing stones into the water. She went to stop them, but Aragorn got there first. He grabbed Pippin's wrist just as he was about to throw another one in.

"Do not disturb the water." he said harshly. Pippin looked startled, but he and Merry stopped.

Gandalf seemed to have nearly given up. He turned from the door, muttering angrily to himself. He threw his staff down upon the ground, removed his hat, and massaged his temples. Frodo moved to sit beside him. Ginny was looking into the water, and she thought that she saw something move, but she couldn't be sure.

"It's a riddle!" Frodo said from beside the doors. The Fellowship all turned to face him, varying degrees of confusion on their faces.

"Speak 'friend', and enter!" he said excitedly. "What's the elvish word for friend?" he asked no one in particular.

"Mellon." Gandalf answered him. To their delight, the doors swung open slowly, creaking with the movement. They all rose from their seats and followed Gandalf inside. He lit the tip of his staff, and the Weasleys were spread out among the company, all with their wands alight, held high above their heads.

"Now, master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves!" Gimli said enthusiastically. "Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone!" he gushed. "This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" he said.

Ginny glanced around her, seeing no such comforts. No, what she saw was gruesome. The corpses of dwarves, cloven armor and bones, black fletched arrows stuck in their cold, dead bodies.

"This is no mine," Boromir said. He seemed to have noticed the same things Ginny had. "This is a tomb." he finished. Gimli took a closer look around them, and saw the destruction of his kin.

"No!" he cried, "No!" He ran off into the mine, searching among the bodies for Merlin knew what.

Legolas bent over and yanked an arrow from one of the many bodies. "Goblins." he proclaimed. He threw the arrow away from them, and it clattered against the stone. They all drew their weapons, swords and bows alike.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan." Boromir said. "We should never have come here! Now get out! Get out!" Before they could, they heard a cry from near the door. They all turned to see Frodo being dragged out of the mine, a dirty great tentacle wound around his ankle. Cries of "Frodo!" followed him, and Merry and Pippin caught hold of his wrists, trying to keep him on land. Sam drew his sword and started hacking at the tentacle, and it released the Ringbearer, slinking back into the water. They had only a moment's relief before six, maybe seven other slimy appendages burst from the eerie water, striking at the hobbits and taking hold of Frodo once more. It held him suspended in the air, upside down, the Ring hanging by its chain about Frodo's neck, dangling out of his shirt.

"Diffindo!" George shouted, aiming his wand at the tentacle holding Frodo, but his spell missed. Legolas shot an arrow at the monster, aiming for the same place, and had more success, though it still didn't release the hobbit.

"Strider!" Frodo yelled desperately at Aragorn, and he ran forward with his sword, slicing at tentacles, trying his best to harm the beast enough to drop Frodo. The thing thrashed in the water, lashing out at them all. Jets of light came from Ginny, Fred, and George's wands, but the thing was seemingly impervious to their spells. The only thing they accomplished was aggravating it. Slowly, it rose further out of the water, and a great many eyed head broke the surface. It dangled Frodo just above its open and fanged mouth, as Aragorn and Boromir chopped off tentacles right and left. Fred got a spell on the tentacle holding Frodo, and the beast dropped him into Boromir's arms.

"Into the mines!" Gandalf shouted. They rushed out of the water and into the darkness, shooting arrows and spells behind them as they went. Legolas got a shot into the watcher's mouth before he dashed inside after the rest of the fellowship. They saw the creature coming towards them, crawling onto the bank, its remaining tentacles reaching towards them. They slapped and whipped at the stone, and finally hit it hard enough to make it collapse. Stone fell in their wake, closing off their only way out. They were trapped.

"We now have but one choice." Gandalf said grimly, lighting his staff. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the earth." he said grimly, leading the way for the rest to follow.

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**I know it's been a while since I've thanked you readers for favoriting, reviewing, and following my story, so I'm going to do that now! ALL OF YOU! Because I'm just that thankful for all of you :) **

**So, Thank you to Nia, rydychan, jamber17, meriland25, rockrose, Talismann, Rem, velvee, Ella, dinawen, foxgodess07, Pearl Bramble of Willowbottom, QueenGuin, BloomFanatic95, Adere, The Lady of the Land, dragooner, Jovie Black, Toxxick Lollie, Maethorelen, darkofthenight, LittleNK, purple3snape, Lady Northwind, red red ribbon, and melred!**

**You all make my day with your reviews, favorites, and alerts, so thank you so much! I less-than-three you all :) wow, this feels really redundant. I'll try to post the next chapter soon!**

**Natalie**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hello! Yes, I am alive, I'm sorry this chapter took me so long to post...**

**Aside from that, I would like to remind you that Ginny Weasley is a bit of a canon Mary-Sue. I have tried to write her in canon, aside form the obvious, and I've done my best to keep her in character. Just try to put yourself in her shoes. Imagine going through what she did at the age of eleven, and then tell me if this isn't canon.**

**As always, I don't own Harry Potter of Lord of the Rings. If I did, I'd be rich enough to fly myself to London on September 1, 2016, so I could go to King's Cross Station on the day of the Epilogue.**

**Please enjoy!**

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The Fellowship walked carefully through the mines, pausing occasionally while Gandalf deliberated which direction to go in. Ginny was constantly looking over her shoulder and all around them, paranoid and afraid. Yes, she had her wand lit, but that only provided a tiny sphere, about one foot in diameter. She hated being underground or in the dark. It reminded her of the Chamber. She glanced over her shoulder and saw something that looked almost like the Basilisk. It was only stone and shadow, but it was enough to trick her brain. Ginny turned from it as fast as she could, causing her neck to pop.

Memories ran through her mind at full speed; the stretches of blankness in her head, rooster feathers on her robes, the great snake that could kill with a glance, the Chamber itself. The Chamber of Secrets... dark, dank, cold, and terrifying. The diary... so small, innocent at first glance, but evil to the core. Tom Riddle... charming and handsome, but deceptive and cruel. She remembered how he sucked the life out of her using the diary, something she had poured her dreams and insecurities into. He watched her as she slowly died, slipping in and out of consciousness, before she finally succumbed to the fatigue from her effort to stay awake.

Ginny trembled at the rush of horrifying memories from her first year. Her knees gave out from underneath her and she fell to all fours, scraping her hands and kneecaps on the rock. Her wand fell out of her grasp and the light went out as it clattered against the stone. She gasped for breath, she felt Tom Riddle's cold presence inside her again after fifteen long years of freedom from it. She felt a hand on her back, and she recoiled, positive that it was Riddle. He had comforted her, only to lure her further into his servitude. Something wet and hot dripped onto her hands. She looked down and saw that tears were falling from her face. She hadn't noticed. As she looked at her hands, she saw the bleeding cuts from when she fell.

_Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever._ The sentence forcefully ran through her mind and she remembered the blood on her hands, her own blood, when she awoke in the Chamber with Riddle after writing the note that announced her capture. The hand touched her again, and she shrunk away from it once more. Someone said something to her, but it was lost to her ears. Her brain was in the Chamber, with serpentine statues on all sides, looming over her, waiting to strike.

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Fred saw Ginny collapse out of the corner of his eye. She fell to her knees and dropped her wand, the light went out. She was crying. He nodded at George, and retrieved Ginny's wand as George approached her. He placed a hand between her shoulder blades comfortingly, but she jerked away from the gesture. George raised his eyebrows at Fred, who was now on Ginny's other side. The rest of the fellowship stood watching, worry on their faces. They let Ginny calm down a bit and tried again. George repeated his previous action but she only got further away from them, curling up into the fetal position. Fred started talking to her.

"Gin? What's wrong?" he asked her gently. She ignored him.

"Ginny?" George tried, approaching her with his hand once more, reaching for her shoulder. When he touched her, she broke out of her trance and fell into George's open arms, crying and talking to herself quietly. They could only distinguish a few words through her sobs.

"Snake... Riddle... Chamber..." she sobbed louder, and now the twins knew exactly what was wrong. This place must have reminded her of her first year. _Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever._ Fred remembered the words painted on the wall, with Ginny's school books piled below them. He shivered involuntarily. George held their sister, rubbing her back as she cried into his shirt. She kept muttering about the chamber, about Slytherin, about the basilisk. Fred turned to Gandalf.

"Can we spare an hour's rest?" he asked. "Ginny needs time to calm down." he pleaded for his sister's sake. Gandalf almost looked like he'd refuse, but he nodded. He could tell that this was a serious matter, judging by the twins' silence, the smiles gone from their faces.

"What happened?" Pippin asked Fred. The young wizard shook his head.

"I can't answer that, I don't even know the whole answer myself. But if I did, I wouldn't say. It's not my story to tell." he said. "If you ever choose to ask her, wait until we're out of the Mines." he said. Pippin nodded in understanding. Fred turned back to his siblings. Ginny was sitting upright now, but George still had an arm around her. Fred sat down on Ginny's other side and took her hand in his.

"What happened, Gin?" He thought he already knew, but he wanted her to confirm it.

"This place-" she choked on her words. She sniffled before continuing. "It's like the Chamber." she whispered. The twins pulled their sister into a hug between them. She was shaking.

"You're safe, Gin." Fred reassured her.

"We're here for you, you know that, right?" George said to her, pulling away and tilting her head up, forcing her to look at the twins. She nodded.

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Ginny felt like such a crybaby. She was ashamed of her outburst, and of how it had made her look weak. She hated to look weak, it gave people the wrong impression of her, as if she was someone easily manipulated. She pulled herself together, and forced herself to stop crying. Fred and George were sitting next to her protectively and they grinned when she visibly calmed down. Fred handed her her wand, and she stood up quickly. She brought a hand to her temple, and stuck the other out to the side, trying to steady herself from the blood that rushed to her head when she got up. Her outstretched hand found George's face and he fell to the ground, catching himself on his elbows. Fred started to laugh at his twin, and George joined in. Ginny giggled at the two of them, startling the twins.

"Success!" they said together, giving each other a high five. Ginny laughed at her crazy brothers. Fred jumped to his feet.

"Shall we continue, Gandalf?" he said jovially. Gandalf shook his head at them fondly.

"We shall." he said, turning back in the direction they'd been going. Fred kept close to Ginny, ready to comfort her if she had another spell like before. George was keeping up the rear with Aragorn, his wand alight and held high above his head. They walked through the halls and narrow corridors for hours until it felt like it would have been nighttime outside.

"We will sleep here tonight." Gandalf said. George was itching to point out that there really was no night or day underground, but he kept his mouth shut. They all settled down on their bedrolls, except for Gandalf, who was keeping watch. Ginny was between Aragorn and George, her usual place. She curled up and fell into a fitful sleep.

_She was in her Hogwarts uniform, but it was dirty. It had feathers all down the front, the feathers of a rooster. She looked down at her hands, and saw a cut on her arm, blood smeared around it, and that same blood on her fingertips. She was in the hospital wing, and petrified victims filled the beds. Mrs. Norris, Colin, Justin, Nearly Headless Nick, Penelope, Hermione... But then she saw the others, equally still and lifeless. Arwen, Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam. She gasped, and ran to Arwen's side. A voice was nagging at her thoughts, a silky and persuasive one._

_"This is all your fault." it said._

_"No! No! I didn't mean it! I swear!" she said. Arwen turned to look at her, but Ginny didn't see the elleth's familiar eyes, but those of Tom Riddle. Dark and cruel, narrowed into slits._

_"Of course it's your fault!" she hissed at Ginny._

_"No! I didn't mean to!" she cried, trying in vain to convince her friend that it wasn't her fault. Arwen shook her head and went still._

_"No! No! No, Arwen, listen to me!" she shouted, but the elleth was immobile. Ginny turned around, and she was in the Chamber, with Fred, George, and Aragorn's nearly lifeless bodies on the slimy floor._

_"No!" she screamed, running to them, sliding on the tile as she went. She knelt down between Fred and Aragorn, and she heard her wand clatter to the ground as it fell from her hand. She reached out a hand to Fred's arm, only to find it cold. She frantically searched for a pulse and found one, but it was painfully slow and faint. She felt George's and Aragorn's wrists for their pulses and found the same thing, but a little stronger than Fred's._

_"They're going to die." said the voice. She sat there, staring at the three of them, not allowing herself to believe what was before her eyes._

_"They won't wake." came the same silky voice from behind her. She got up and whirled around to face Tom Riddle._

_"You!" she shouted at him angrily. "You did this!"_

_"No, Ginny. It was not I who set the basilisk on your friends. Not I who killed the basilisk's only foes. Not I who opened the Chamber." he said. "It was you. they won't wake."_

_"No! They have to!" she cried desperately. _It's not my fault! I didn't mean to!

_"But they won't. They never will. You have failed them." he said to her calmly. He began to hiss in a language Ginny could once use, but never remember. It was parseltongue. She heard a rumbling noise below them. The basilisk was coming. She reached for her wand, but it was gone. She looked up and saw Riddle twirling it in his hands idly. He smirked at her. He fired a curse that rooted her to the spot as the basilisk slid out of Salazar Slytherin's great stone mouth._

_"No!" Ginny shouted, her eyes darting between her friend and brothers and the basilisk._

_"Oh it won't hurt you." Riddle said mockingly, "Only them." Ginny started screaming for it all to stop, for him to take her instead, not to harm them. He only laughed at her, a bitter and mirthless laugh. The basilisk was poised to strike. Ginny felt someone shaking her by the shoulders, she threw them off and continued screaming at Riddle, begging him to take her instead. She was shaken again._

She bolted up into a sitting position, breathing heavily. She looked around her and saw that she was in the Mines of Moria. Her eyes darted to Fred and George's bedrolls and saw that they were fast asleep, their chests rising and falling slowly. She turned to her other side and saw Aragorn, awake and sitting beside her, watching her worriedly. A few tears of relief escaped her eyes.

"Are you okay, Ginny?" he asked her as he wiped away her tears. She started to nod, but couldn't complete the action. She shook her head as she fought back tears. Aragorn took her into his arms and rocked her back and forth as she tried her hardest not to cry, trying to soothe her worries.

"What's wrong?" he inquired. She couldn't bring herself to answer. She knew that if she opened her mouth to speak she'd only end up sobbing.

"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked her gently. She nodded jerkily, and her tears finally broke free. She tucked her head in between his shoulder and neck, and if it hadn't been silent all around them, Aragorn would have missed her words.

"I dreamed that you, Fred and George were about to be killed before my eyes and-" her tears fell harder and harder as she spoke, her words punctuated with sobs, "and I couldn't do anything." she paused to collect her breath. "I couldn't do anything. It was my fault, all my fault. And the hobbits were petrified, and Riddle said that I failed you, and the basilisk, and the chamber and..." she trailed off, startled by how much she had divulged in her hysterics.

"It was just a dream, Ginny." Aragorn tried to calm her. He kissed the crown of her head softly. "Just a dream."

"Yes... just a dream..." she said quietly, not entirely sure of herself.

"Will you be able to go back to sleep?" he asked her. She shook her head. She knew that if she closed her eyes again, she'd just see the cold, cruel eyes of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

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**AN: This is utterly and completely unrelated to my story, but... Have any of you ever had something that you love so much that you just can't get rid of it? Has anyone ever tried to take that thing away from you or tried to get you to replace it? Because everyone who's ever seen my backpack has suggested I get a new one. I've had this thing for five years now, and it's full of holes and the fabric is wearing through. I've been fixing it as it broke with duct tape, and now I'm finally fixing it properly with a good old-fashioned needle and thread. TAKE THAT EVERYONE. You won't be taking my backpack from me so easily! Same goes for my flip-flops, minus the needle and thread part. Those things are more duct tape than flip-flop by now. My friends said they'd buy me new flip flops to replace them, but so far so good!**

**As far as the story goes... HUGE thanks to everyone who's favorited, followed, or reviewed this story or myself since my last update :) I less-than-three you guys so much!**

**On another note, I'm watching Return of the King as I type this, and I just want to say how funny I think Gimli and the hobbits are when they're drunk. That is all.**

**If you liked it, review! If you want to know what happens next, follow! If you LOVED it, favorite! (just remember, wanting to know what happens next and loving it imply that you like it!)**

**3, Natalie**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hey everyone... So. I would write up a huge excuse, but it wouldn't be all that legitimate. Either way, I'll try to placate some of your frustration or anger towards me for taking so damn long to update... I'm mad at myself for taking this long. It's been almost a month! D: Anyways, I've been busier than I expected. I've had band, band, and more band, art, art, and more art, and now, homework, homework, and more homework. Sadly, it looks like this will be my new update schedule... a new chapter every few weeks. I'll try to update more often than that, but as of right now, it looks like AP Art History, AP Studio Art, Photography, British Literature, and Chicago Urban History won't let me do that... I'll try to update every two weeks if I can.**

**ANYWAYS. Here's the chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this since the last update!**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. If I did, I wouldn't have to worry about school or college because I'd have enough money to just do whatever the hell I wanted for the rest of my life without working!**

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"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf said as he faced a fork in their path. He stood there, puzzled, as he searched his mind. He sat down, thinking it over and over again. Fred tried the "point me" charm, but all that spell did was point you in the cardinal direction, be it north, east, south, or west, not the direction you needed to go in order to get to your destination. Sensing that it would take a long time, the fellowship made themselves comfortable on the rock as they waited. Ginny's eyes kept darting around them all from where she sat by Gimli and Aragorn, who was smoking his pipe pensively. This place still scared her and she was afraid to sit by herself. She didn't want the memories of the Chamber to return. Ever. She heard Pippin and Merry whispering to each other.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asked.

"No, I don't think we are. Now shh! Gandalf's thinking." Merry said. There was a short pause before Pippin spoke again.

"Merry? I'm hungry." he said. Ginny smiled at them. Their appetites really were larger than those of her brothers. She reached into her bag that she had enchanted with an undetectable extension charm and pulled out some dry crackers. She tossed them to Pippin.

"It's not much, but it'll fill your stomach." she said. Pippin thanked her and stuffed the crackers into his mouth. Ginny laughed to herself silently. Worse than Ron. She missed him. Before she left home, she never thought that she'd miss his rude table manners, his bottomless stomach, his tactlessness. But here she was, all sad over the face that Ron wasn't there. She saw Gandalf and Frodo talking, but payed them no mind. It wasn't her business. Suddenly Gandalf stood up and replaced his hat on his head.

"Ah! It's that way!" he said.

"He's remembered!" Merry said excitedly.

"No," Gandalf disagreed, "but the air does not smell so foul down here." he explained. "When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." he said. Ginny shook her head at the wizard, smiling as she did so. He was so much like Dumbledore. They all got up to follow him through the chosen arch and Ginny took up her place in the middle of the company once more, a twin on either side. They walked for a while until they came upon a large hall.

"Let us risk a little more light." Gandalf said from the front. He brightened the tip of his staff and the Weasleys did the same with their wands. The sight that met their eyes was impressive to say the least - it was breathtaking. It was a large dwarven hall, with pillars the size of trees beautifully carved out of the stone, making arches a ceiling taller than that of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Ginny's jaw dropped a little as she looked at it all, trying to take everything in, but finding it impossible.

"Behold, the great realm of the dwarf city of Dwarrodelf." Gandalf said to them as he walked further into the hall, shedding more light unto the intricately carved columns. They got further into the hall, and they were almost at the other end when Gimli ran forward into the next room with a surprised and saddened cry.

"Gimli!" George and Gandalf shouted after him, but he didn't stop. He kept running until he was inside the next room, the floor was strewn with corpses and other residue of battle, and in the center was a marble tomb, light shining down upon it from the outside. The Weasleys were all forcibly reminded of Dumbledore's tomb, white marble encasing their beloved headmaster.

"No!" Gimli cried as he got closer to it. "No!" He knelt down in front of it and succumbed to tears, crying into the hand that wasn't holding his axe. "No..."

They followed him inside, and Gandalf read aloud the inscription on the tomb. Ginny crouched beside Gimli and laid an arm around his shoulders. If there was one thing she understood, it was the need to grieve. Gimli needed that right now, Ginny knew, without even knowing who resided inside the tomb, and so she provided that for him. Sure enough, the dwarf leaned into her side, even though his pride wouldn't allow him to full out cry in front of all of them.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." Gandalf read. Gimli's cousin. He was family. Ginny also couldn't help but think she'd heard the name somewhere before... Maybe in a story? She shook herself back to the present, tightening her hold on Gimli as his resolve broke, finally releasing his tears.

"He is dead then." Gandalf continued, "It is as I feared." Ginny watched him reach down and pick up a book from the dead skeletal hands of a dwarf leaning against the tomb. The book seemed to protest being opened, but Gandalf forced it to cooperate.

"They have taken the bridge." Gandalf read, "and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes... Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. The shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming." There was a loud clatter and Ginny looked up sharply to see that Pippin had knocked a skeleton down a well. The sound reverberated for nearly a minute before it stopped. She got up from where she had previously been comforting Gimli, who now had a hold of himself and his emotions, and Gandalf started to berate the curious hobbit.

"Fool of a Took!" he snapped, "Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!"

Ginny raised her eyebrows at that comment. There was no need for such harsh words! She kept her mouth shut, though. They didn't need any more dissent and disagreement among them than what already existed. And besides, that noise will have alerted any enemies to their presence. They needed to be ready to fight. A loud pounding sound rumbled from all sides. It was a drum. It sounded again, and again, and again, getting louder, more rhythmic, more hurried. Ginny noticed Frodo drawing his sword, Sting, and saw it glowing blue. Orcs.

"Oh my Rowling..." she mumbled to herself. They heard a shriek form outside the chamber, and Legolas voiced all of their thoughts.

"Orcs!" he said and Boromir rushed to the door to close it. He made a mistake of pausing for a second and two arrows shot past his nose, embedding themselves in the door.

"Get back!" Aragorn said to the hobbits, "And stay close to Gandalf!" he commanded. He turned to Ginny, and was about to say something similar, but she beat him to it.

"Oh Hell no." she said, "I am no damsel in distress, you should know that better than anyone." she said, smirking. Sure, she had a bit of a breakdown yesterday, but that had no bearing on her fighting skills.

"Best just let her fight, mate," Fred said to Aragorn who looked exasperated with Ginny.

"You should know that by now." George finished. As they were talking, Boromir had shut the door and barred it closed.

"They have a cave troll." he said with an odd tone of voice, almost as if he was asking things to just get worse.

"Bloody fantastic." Fred said sarcastically.

"Well, if Ron can take down a mountain troll with wingardium leviosa, I think we can make short work of some cave troll, don't you my dear siblings?" George asked Fred and Ginny half jokingly. Ginny couldn't hide her grin as she nodded.

"Of course." she said a bit cockily. Fred and George rushed forward to help the others brace the door with spears and axes scattered along the ground, and Ginny watched as Gandalf and the hobbits drew swords, and Gimli leapt atop Balin's tomb.

"Let them come!" he growled, "There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" he said viciously, axe raised and ready to strike. The doors shook with the blows from the other side, and the axes and spears were beginning to splinter under the pressure. Ginny, Aragorn, and Legolas all had their bows strung and drawn, all aiming at the doors, ready to shoot down the first Orc or Goblin to break through. Fred and George were bouncing on the balls of their feet, shifting their weight from one foot to the other, exchanging friendly banter, trying to make light of the situation. Boromir swung his sword around a bit in his hand, warming up his muscles as he braced himself for the coming attack.

The first monster broke through the wood and Legolas shot it in the head, eliciting a squeal from the creature as it perished. Another took its place, only to meet one of Aragorn's arrows, also to the face. Another hole formed, and Ginny focused on that one, getting two out of three arrows shot through the hole and into the mass of Orcs and Goblins behind. They broke down the door, and Legolas brought down the first one through, and it wailed as it fell down, only to be trampled by its kin. They continued to shoot arrows at them until they came too close for that to be effective in any way, shape, or form, and then they drew their swords. Ginny and the twins wanted to save their magic as a last resort, if there were any survivors from the attack, they didn't need the information getting out that four wizards were traveling across Middle Earth together with two men, an elf, a dwarf, and four hobbits. Might get suspicious. Ginny thought sarcastically. God, I've been spending too much time with the twins lately.

She tried to keep her mind anywhere but on the battle, allowing her limbs to move automatically in a rhythmic pattern of slicing, stabbing, and lunging. She fought back to back with both Fred and George in a sort of triangle formation, each of them watching the other two's backs.

"Fred!" Ginny called to him, and he ducked below the blade of an Orc who had been poised to decapitate him. Ginny stabbed the thing in the gut and pulled out her sword just as the cave troll entered the room.

"Operation Ronnikins?" George asked them, using the name he'd come up with for their attack against the troll.

"What the hell kinda name is that?" Ginny replied incredulously. Despite the strange name, they made their way over to the troll, close enough for spell range, but far enough that it couldn't reach them with its club. Ginny was given spell duty first, and then they would rotate, with two guarding the third from enemies at all times. Ginny drew her wand and waited until she had a clear shot at the troll's eyes.

"Confundus!" she shouted, aiming for its face, the most vulnerable point. If this thing was anything like the trolls back home, its skin would be thicker than Hagrid's. Unfortunately, the spell missed, hitting the wall and causing an explosion. However, a shard from the explosion managed to lodge itself in the troll's shoulder, making it pause in its tracks for a second long enough for her to get in another spell.

"Levicorpus!" she tried, but the troll went and moved again, so she ended up hitting an Orc, sending it flying into the air by its ankle. Legolas got a clear shot at it and brought it down, falling back to the floor.

"Doesn't this thing know that it's supposed to stay still long enough for us to hurt it?" Ginny said sarcastically to her brothers.

"Apparently not, Gin." Fred said, humoring her. "Rotate!" he shouted. Ginny quickly returned her wand to the holster on her thigh and drew her sword. Their little red haired triangle turned clockwise, giving George a chance at cursing the troll. Ginny focused her attention on the goblins and orcs trying to bring down her brother as he focused on his spellwork. She quickly got back into her previous rhythm and soon they rotated again, this time it was George and Ginny who were defending Fred. Apparently, cave trolls are very resilient to magic. It was disappointing to them to say the least the "Operation Ronnikins" was a failure, but they at least managed to fell a fair number of orcs and goblins. They heard a clanging sound, and Ginny looked over quickly to see the troll swinging its chain at Legolas, who was standing on a ledge, waiting for an opportunity to shoot at the beast. She turned back to her current battle with a particularly large orc, who seemed to have more brains than the others. She ducked under its sword, and slashed it across both legs. It got a blow on her arm, slashing at her left forearm, narrowly missing her artery. With all the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she didn't even notice that she was wounded. She kicked the orc in the crotch, an underhanded move, she knew that, but she was desperate. When it fell to the ground with a snarl, she cleanly sliced off its head and it was then that she heard Frodo's desperate cries.

"Aragorn!" he shouted. Ginny looked over, and saw that the hobbit was being chased by the troll. "Aragorn!" he shouted again.

Aragorn tried to get to him, but the troll knocked him out somehow, Ginny couldn't quite see what was going on. She saw the troll raise a spear in its fist and throw it. It clattered against stone, but it picked it up again, this time stabbing it straight and true at a cornered Frodo. Merry and Pippin bravely jumped onto its back, stabbing it with their swords. Ginny ran to the fallen Hobbit without a second thought, throwing a spell at the troll, which missed again. The thing swung its club right and left, thrashing out at the dead goblins, the only kind in the room at this point, and Fellowship alike. Legolas managed to shoot it in the mouth and it fell to the ground, dead.

Merry and Pippin were thrown off its back, and they all rushed to Frodo now that all their threats were dispatched. Aragorn got there first and then Ginny.

"No..." she said. Aragorn turned him over so he was facing upwards, and they saw his chest rising and falling. He's... alive? How? Ginny's eyes widened, and she let out a relieved sigh. Frodo gasped for air, and clutched at the place where the spear hit him. There was only a hole in his shirt where the blade had hit and he seemed to be perfectly okay.

"He's alive." Sam said to everyone else, smiling in relief. They all had assumed the worst...

"I'm alright, I'm not hurt." Frodo reassured them. Aragorn and Ginny stared at him in disbelief.

"How?" Ginny asked.

"You should be dead," Aragorn said, "That spear would have skewered a wild boar!"

Apparently Gandalf knew something they didn't because he said "It appears that there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

Frodo unbuttoned the top of his shirt to reveal a fine white chain shirt, beautifully decorated along the collar.

"Mithril..." Gimli said, "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

"Bilbo's shirt..." Ginny put the pieces together. Bilbo had been given a mithril shirt from Thorin when he had gone on his adventure to Lonely Mountain. And that was where she'd heard the name Balin! How could she have forgotten? That old hobbit must have told her the story twenty times.

They heard screeching and clanging noises from the direction the other goblins had just come from. There were more of them.

"To the bridge of Khazad-Dum!" Gandalf said urgently. They all rushed to follow him out of the hall, not willing to face another contingent of those same monsters.

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**AN: Thanks for reading!**

**I absolutely LOVE reviews. They motivate me :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh my god... I'm so sorry this is so late! I know you don't want to read excuses, but I'll feel better if I type them out. I've had a shitload of stuff to do - mainly marching band and homework. Whatever possessed me to take british literature, Chicago urban history, and art history classes, I don't know. So much reading... Oh well. **

**Thanks to Forest Walk, Carri007, miladyRanger, UntilTheVeryEnd6, Letterbomb, foxgoddess07, Cee.A, ginnyrules27, stoly123, lanie, and Starlight Drama for following, favoriting, and reviewing it :) You guys are what got me to finally update.**

**So, the moral of the story is that if you review, follow, or favorite, I will be more inclined to update. :)**

**As always, I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. If I did, I could just go and buy a grey spandex bodysuit and tall purple converse for my b man costume without working for the money.**

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They heard shrieks behind them as they ran. They didn't need to look behind them to know that the Orcs were following. They were coming up on all sides, climbing the stone and scuttling down the pillars around them like overgrown spiders. They kept running, following quickly behind Gandalf, until they were surrounded. The creatures snarled and growled at them, brandishing their weapons at them gleefully. Legolas drew his bow and aimed at the circle, no matter where he shot, he'd hit one of them. The rest drew their swords and the Weasleys drew their wands, ready to fight to the death. They weren't Gryffindors for nothing. Suddenly, the snarling stopped. There was a low growling rumble, and the Orcs scattered.

Holy shit... If they're scared... Ginny thought to herself. This wasn't good, not on anyone's scale, not even Harry's. Light the color of flame appeared in the doorway they had come from, and they all turned to face this new foe.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked Gandalf. The old wizard closed his eyes and scrunched up his face in concentration and worry. He looked as if he was bitterly wishing that his guess was wrong. They heard the scraping of metal against stone, and Gandalf opened his eyes and looked up at the fiery light.

"A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world." he said slowly. "This foe is beyond any of you."

"Run!" he shouted at them, taking the lead once more, as far and fast away from the Balrog as they could get. Gandalf opened the door at the end of the hall, and Boromir took the lead, rushing through without a second glance. They heard a light shout from the other side, and when they all got through, it was to see Legolas pulling Boromir back from the ledge, saving him from falling to his death. They all got through, Gandalf at the back, and he leaned against the stone archway.

"Gandalf?" Aragorn asked him, worried about his condition.

"Lead them on, Aragorn!" he urged. "The bridge is near." Aragorn paused, reluctant to leave Gandalf.

"But," George protested, he didn't want to leave his mentor in peril again.

"Do as I say!" Gandalf commanded them all. "Swords are no more use here."

"Then let _us_ stay with you, Gandalf! Let us help!" Fred pleaded on behalf of himself, his twin, and his sister.

"No, Fred, you and your siblings are needed elsewhere. Your lives are far more valuable." Gandalf insisted, ushering them forward after the Fellowship. They ran down the stairs quickly and carefully, catching each other when they threatened to fall off the edge. They came to a stretch of stair with a large gap in between, maybe three yards long. The piece they stood on was cracking, ready to break and fall into the abyss below.

"Reparo!" Fred yelled at the crack, aiming his wand at the crumbling stone. It fused back together. As Fred was repairing that piece of stair, Ginny and George were enlarging the edges of the hole to bridge the gap, and when they were done, the Fellowship ran across without problem. They heard a large thud and a crumble, and Ginny looked behind them to see that a large boulder had fallen where they had just been standing, destroying the stairs they had just crossed.

They ran down more stairs and they got to the bridge. The Balrog was close behind them now, the flames licking at the stone as they passed it.

"Over the bridge! Fly!" Gandalf commanded, and he turned to face the Balrog. It was a frightening creature, as large as a giant, black and silhouetted in flame. It was a bit hunchbacked, had large horns curling from its ears to its jaw, and small bright eyes. It carried a whip made of flames and a large sword as it advanced on the Grey Wizard. It growled, and breathed flame like a dragon. Gandalf turned and ran after the fellowship, and as soon as they had all crossed the bridge safely, he stopped halfway and turned to face the Balrog.

Ginny ran as fast as her legs could carry her, and made it across the bridge right behind Aragorn. They ran in single file, Aragorn at the front, then Ginny, Fred, Boromir, Merry, Pippin, George, Frodo, Sam, Gimli, and Legolas bringing up the rear. Ginny turned around to face the bridge, and in a matter of seconds, everyone had made it across except for Gandalf. The wizard was standing in the middle of the bridge, staff and sword raised, facing the Balrog. Her eyes widened. He planned to take it on singlehandedly!

"You cannot pass!" he shouted at it.

"Gandalf!" Frodo yelled for the wizard. He started to go back to the bridge, but Ginny stopped him, tears in her own eyes, not wanting to believe what she knew would soon happen. The Balrog seemed to taunt Gandalf, making the flames around itself brighter, standing up to its full height.

"I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor!" Gandalf said. He raised his staff and the light from the tip got a bluish tint to it, expanding and creating a shield around him.

"The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" he said powerfully. The Balrog struck Gandalf's shield with its flaming sword, and it broke. The pieces fell like water droplets over the side of the bridge and the Balrog snarled again at the wizard. Ginny felt Frodo trying to free himself from her grasp, to go to Gandalf, but she tightened her hold. She saw Aragorn and George moving closer to the bridge as well.

"Aragorn! George!" she called to them both, bringing them back to reality.

"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf said. The Balrog seemed to take that as a challenge, as it only took a step forward, brandishing its whip.

"You! Shall not! Pass!" Gandalf shouted, bringing his sword and staff together, and driving them soundly into the stone he stood upon. A flash of light came from the point of contact, and the Balrog recoiled a bit before resuming its advance. It growled and swung its whip again, but as it stepped forward, the stone fell from under its feet, and it fell into the chasm. Ginny didn't want to believe her eyes, it was too good to be true! Gandalf had defeated a Balrog! She started to smile as Gandalf turned wearily to finish crossing the bridge, but that expression quickly melted into one of disbelief and sadness. The fiery whip of the Balrog reached up and curled itself around Gandalf's ankle, pulling him off of the bridge. He dropped his sword and staff, and was barely hanging onto the edge.

Frodo broke free of her arms, but Boromir managed to stop him from running to Gandalf. There was nothing they could do. Any spell would be too risky, there was too great a chance of it going awry, since their minds were so preoccupied with worry.

"Gandalf!" Frodo wailed, struggling in Boromir's arms. Gandalf tried to pull himself up onto the bridge, but to no avail. He fell back, holding on by his fingertips. Ginny could see the sadness in his eyes, the regret that he couldn't stay with them.

"Fly, you fools!" he gave them one last command before relinquishing his hold on the bridge, and falling after the Balrog. Ginny felt numb. She was frozen on the spot, it was like Dumbledore all over again. He was gone, dead, forever beyond their help or rescue. Frodo's cry for the wizard, and Boromir's cry to get Aragorn moving both came to her ears as if she was underwater. She thought she might have heard someone calling her name, but she didn't respond. She couldn't move. It wasn't fully processed by her brain, she wasn't functioning properly. She felt someone pulling her arm, and when she wouldn't move, he picked her up, carrying her as he ran from the bridge and towards the outside world.

They got outside the mine, and the fresh air helped to rouse Ginny and bring her back to her senses. When she did come back, it was with tears in her eyes. Whoever was carrying her, Aragorn, it turned out to be, set her down on the rock, and she gratefully sat. She felt a shooting pain in her left arm that she hadn't noticed earlier. She looked at her arm to see it bleeding profusely. She let out a small gasp and grasped her forearm, trying to staunch the bleeding. Aragorn knelt beside her, worry in his eyes.

"Are you wounded?" he asked her. She nodded and removed her right hand from the gash, allowing Aragorn to inspect it. He took her arm in his hands, pushing up her sleeve so he could get a better look. He took out his waterskin and cleaned the wound before using it to clean a strip of cloth he ripped off from the hem of his shirt. Ginny started to protest, but with a look from Aragorn, she closed her mouth. His eyes were pleading, desperate, and sorrowful. Ginny was shocked to see him in such a state, so she let him bind her wound in silence. When he finished, they stood, and Ginny hugged him fiercely. He returned her embrace, burying his face in her hair.

"I'm glad you're safe, Ginny." he murmured.

"Same to you." Ginny replied. They broke apart, and now his eyes held determination. We must go on. Ginny thought. She and Aragorn both knew that they couldn't linger. It was too dangerous. The grief weighed heavy on them, but they had to bear it for at least the rest of the day before they could properly deal with their sadness.

Ginny looked around at the rest of the fellowship. It seemed broken, almost hollow, without Gandalf's grumpy and wise presence. She smiled a little through the tears at his memory, but that sad smile was wiped away quickly by the sight of the crying hobbits and her somber brothers. She approached them, and they pulled her into a hug. She was not afraid to cry in front of them, they were her family. Though they would tease her in any other situation, they were grieving too. There were tears in their own eyes as they comforted each other.

"Legolas, get them up." Aragorn said, taking on the role Gandalf had given him before he fell. Ginny was right, Aragorn knew that they couldn't stay there safely. The Weasleys broke apart, and went about helping Legolas, convincing the Hobbits to stand, drying their tears.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Boromir said, almost begging.

"We will have time later to grieve." Ginny said to Boromir as she helped Sam to his feet. "For now, we must move."

"Yes, by nightfall, these hills will be swarming with Orcs!" Aragorn said, affirming Ginny's last statement. "We must reach the woods of Lothlorien." he said.

"Come Legolas, Boromir, Gimli, Aendir, Gladhron, get them up." he said again.

"Come on Sam, on your feet." Ginny said gently. He nodded tearfully, but stood up bravely.

"Frodo?" Aragorn called to the Ringbearer. He had been staring out over the stone hills, a vacant and depressed look in his eyes. They would all have to bury their grief for the time being. They had no time to spare.

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**Thank you so much for reading! I know by now not to make any promises about when I'll update, but I'll try to do so relatively soon...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, my dear readers! I hope you're not too frustrated or angry with me for the lateness of this chapter... My grades haven't been as good as they should be, so I've had to take time away from fanfiction to focus on schoolwork. Thank you to those of you who have put up with me and my extremely late updates, you're all totally awesome :)**

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They made their way downhill and things were getting warmer and greener. Finally, they reached the foot of the mountain and now they were running through patches of green, finally coming upon the edge of the woods of Lothlórien. Aragorn was at the head, with Legolas and Ginny beside him, as they were the fastest runners among the Fellowship. Boromir and Fred were at the back, with George, Gimli, and the hobbits in the middle. They ran through the grass and into the trees, slowing down as they did so. The trees were large and old, the trunks wide and branches tall.

"Stay close, young hobbits." Gimli said urgently, "They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods." Ginny raised her eyebrows and turned around to walk backwards, trusting Legolas or Aragorn to tell her if she was about to walk into something.

"And what, may I ask, is wrong with a sorceress?" she asked Gimli jokingly.

"I don't mean any offense, Ginevra," Ginny glared at him for using her full name, "but this sorceress is not like you are, she is an elf witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell, and are never seen again!" he said. Ginny rolled her eyes and turned back so she could see where she was going. _An elf witch?_ she thought skeptically, _Yeah right_.

_'You might be surprised, Ginevra, daughter of Arthur.'_ said a voice in Ginny's head that wasn't her own. She started, and looked around for the speaker, but saw no one.

"Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily!" she heard Gimli say from behind her. "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" he said. Ginny shook her head at the dwarf, and looked up from the ground, stopping quickly. She was face to face with an arrowhead.

"Expelliarmus!" she said, flicking her wand at the offending weapon. The bow and arrow aimed at her nose flew out of their archer's grasp, and into the woods. The archer, and elf, glared at her, and his neighbor simply redirected his arrow so it was pointed at Ginny. _Well that was pointless_. she thought.

"The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." said a rather pompous looking elf who strode forward from behind the archers. "And this girl here would do well not to threaten such a larger armed force than she." he said to Ginny. She glared at him, and her hand twitched towards her wand. _A bat-bogey hex would do him so much good..._

"Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil." the pompous elf greeted Legolas in elvish like an old friend. Ginny could understand most of what was being said; after living amongst elves for a decade, one tends to pick up some of the language.

"Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lorien." Legolas replied in kind. Haldir's eyes fell on Aragorn.

"Ah, Aragorn of the Dunedain. You are known to us." he said. Aragorn nodded in reply. Gimli was getting frustrated by the language barrier, and finally said something about it.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!" he said angrily.

"We have not had dealings with the dwarves since the dark days." Haldir said, as if he was superior. He was beginning to remind the Weasleys of Lucius Malfoy.

"Well you know what this dwarf says to that?" Gimli said before cursing Haldir out in dwarvish. Ginny raised her eyebrows at his words, a grin playing on her face. Aragorn turned to Gimli and grabbed his arm forcefully.

"That was not so courteous." he reprimanded. Haldir shifted his gaze to the hobbits, his eyes finally resting on Frodo.

"You bring great evil with you." he said, referring to the Ring. He paused to stare at Frodo before continuing. "You can go no further." he said.

* * *

_This is ridiculous! Can't they just let us in and be done with it? What's the big deal? Sure, we have the Ring with us, but it was housed in Rivendell for a while, wasn't it? Why can't we bring it here?_

Aragorn and Haldir had been arguing for hours in elvish, Aragorn pushing for them to let the Fellowship into Lothlórien, Haldir steadfastly refusing. In that time, the hearts of the Fellowship grew heavy with the grief they had hidden during their journey to the Golden Wood and were now allowing themselves to grieve for their fallen friend.

_Why? Why did he have to fall? We needed him so desperately! We still need him. Gandalf could have gotten us into Lothlorien in a heartbeat! Not that I don't believe in Aragorn, I know he'll get us inside, but why must it take hours?_

Ginny was brought out of her thoughts by Haldir, who told them to follow him to Caras Galadhron. Aragorn had finally succeeded. As they walked, Ginny approached the ranger.

"Finally..." she muttered. "Took you long enough to convince him." she said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. Aragorn looked at her and shook his head, but the corners of his mouth were turing upwards. Ginny smiled. She prided herself in being one of the only people who could get Aragorn to smile. He didn't show happiness nearly enough; his heart was heavy with far too many burdens for one person. She was glad that she could bring a smile to his face when he was so troubled. They came to the crest of a hill, and below them was Caras Galadhon, the home of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Ginny got shivers up her spine just from looking at it.

They reached their destination after more miles of walking, and Ginny was getting tired. Her feet hurt, her legs hurt, her entire body was hurting with wounds and mere soreness in her muscles. Haldir led them up to a particularly large talan, and they were greeted by two elves, one male and one female; Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. The Lord had silvery white hair, and held himself regally, and the Lady was breathtakingly beautiful, with long golden blonde hair falling past her waist.

"The enemy knows you have entered here." Celeborn said. "What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." He paused to look over the Fellowship. "Eleven there are here, yet twelve there were set out from Rivendell." he said. "Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar." Galadriel seemed to go into a sort of trance; her eyes widened and she spoke to no one in particular.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow." she said. Celeborn looked over at his wife with worry. Ginny looked down at the ground to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She stubbornly wiped them away. _I will not show weakness._ Legolas spoke the words that would not come to any of their mouths.

"He was taken by both shadow and flame." he said, "A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the nets of Moria."

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in his life." Galadriel contradicted, "We do not yet know his full purpose." She looked over at Gimli, who was trying to hide his own grief.

"Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-Dum fill your heart, Gimli son of Glóin," she said. Gimli looked up at her, sadness in his eyes. "For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands, love is now mingled with grief." Ginny couldn't help but agree with that. It was true back home as well. Galadriel stared at Boromir and he met her gaze, but eventually broke it, taking his head in his hands.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship?" Celeborn asked them. "Without Gandalf, hope is lost." he said. _Okay, now wait just one minute._ Ginny thought, _You can't go saying that we have no hope left just because Gandalf died! Thanks for showing some faith in us!_ Galadriel's eyes smiled at Ginny, as if she had heard her thoughts. Outwardly, Ginny had only raised her eyebrows.

"The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail to the ruin of all." she said. "Yet hope remains while the company is true. To not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace." she said, dismissing them.

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Ginny and Aragorn sat side by side in a glade in the middle of the Golden Wood. It was getting late, and around them, Gimli was asleep and the hobbits were laying out their beds provided by the elves. Boromir had withdrawn from the rest of them, sitting with his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. The twins were nowhere in sight, but there was no need to worry for them. They would be fine. Aragorn was sharpening his sword, the hilt in his hand, staring down the length of the blade. Ginny was sitting next to him, both of them leaning against the wall at their backs. A beautiful, sad, and eerie song met their ears, ringing and reverberating through the trees. Ginny closed her eyes and listened, though she couldn't understand what was being sung. The melody tugged at her grief, wetting her eyes with tears. Legolas entered the glade to join the rest of the Fellowship, listening as well.

"A lament for Gandalf." he said sadly.

"What do they say about him?" Merry asked. Ginny's ears perked up, curious.

"I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near." Legolas answered.

"Bet they don't mention his fireworks." Sam said, getting to his feet. "There should be a verse about them. The finest rockets ever seen. They burst in stars of blue and green." Gimli let out a loud snore, and Aragorn hit him across the midriff, startling the dwarf awake before falling back asleep.

"Or after thunder, silver showers came falling like a rain of flowers- Oh, that doesn't do them justice at all." Sam finished, disappointed with his verse. The song continued, boring into their minds, triggering their sorrow. Ginny felt an inexplicable need for comfort, so she leaned into Aragorn's side, nestling into a comfortable position. He extracted his arm from between them and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Ginny let silent tears fall. Fatigue hit her suddenly, the sleep she denied herself in Moria was finally catching up with her. She closed her eyes, and quickly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

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**Thanks for reading! I'd like to thank misslilylunamalfoy for favoriting the story, The Queen of Confusion for favoriting and following, Ashleigh Piccinino for reviewing _every chapter_ :D, favoriting and following this story, and favoriting and following me as an author. You have no idea how good of a mood you guys put me in :)**

**Until next time,**

**Natalie**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yes, this really is a new chapter! and it really is about 2,500 words! :D This is so weird for me. It's been_ less_ than a _week_ since chapter 13! Please enjoy!**

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Their time in Lothlórien was peaceful and rejuvenating. After a month, the days started to blend together, and if asked, Ginny couldn't distinguish between the weeks and days, unable to tell what she did last week or even yesterday. However, just like their short moment of happiness before Caradhras, this peaceful time had to come to an end. This brings us to the shores of the Anduin, where the Fellowship stood before Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, and an array of other Lórien elves. An elf approached each member of the Fellowship with a cloak in hand. The garments were light and grey, and in the correct lighting, Ginny was sure they'd be transparent. The elves fastened the cloaks around their shoulders with matching brooches in the shape of a Mallorn leaf.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people." Celeborn said as he observed the Fellowship. "May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Elven magic... Ginny thought to herself. She watched from her place in the line between George and Frodo, fourth from the end. At the other end of the line, Ginny watched as Galadriel distributed precious gifts to the Fellowship; a bow of the Galadhrim for Legolas; a golden belt for Boromir; matching daggers for Merry and Pippin; elven rope and Lothlórien soil for Sam; the light of Elendil for Frodo. Now she had reached Ginny.

Galadriel turned to an elf beside her who was holding a cushion with something gold atop it. Galadriel reached for the golden object and picked it up, turning to face Ginny again. The golden object was a necklace. It was a pendant in the shape of a rearing lion, it's mane flowed back from its head and it's tail arched upwards, almost reaching the lion's back. It was beautifully carved. However, the most striking thing about it was the eye. Only one eye was visible in its profile view, but that one eye was a ruby embedded in the gold. _Gryffindor.._. Ginny thought. Ginny lifted her hair so that Galadriel could fasten the chain around her neck.

"For you, Rawien, a token to remind you of your origins. May it give you courage." Galadriel said. Ginny mumbled a thank you before Galadriel moved on to George. _Rawien? Oh, lioness. That makes sense..._ Ginny fingered the pendant around her neck - it was so lifelike. For a second, Ginny could have sworn that it was moving; the tail swaying back and forth, the mane blowing in the light breeze around them.

"Ginny?" Aragorn placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder. She broke out of her reverie and looked up at him. _Aw, I missed the twins' and Aragorn's gifts..._"We need to leave now." he said, and Ginny could hear sadness and relief in his voice. Sadness at leaving this safe haven, and relief to be on the move again. Ginny nodded, tucking the pendant inside her shirt, and the two of them started their walk to the river Anduin.

In the water were four elven boats, ready to take them all the way to the Falls of Rauros. Aragorn shared one boat with Frodo and Sam, George took another with Merry and Pippin, Boromir and Fred would take the third, and Ginny, Legolas, and Gimli were to use the fourth. As they were packing up, she overheard Legolas talking to Merry and Pippin.

"Lembas," Legolas said, taking a bite out of the piece of cracker-like bread. "Elvish waybread. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." he explained to the hobbits. He turned away from them to finish packing and Ginny looked over at the hobbits who were looking at each other somewhat sheepishly.

"How many did _you_ eat?" Merry asked Pippin.

"Four." Pippin answered before belching. Ginny raised her eyebrows at him, and he mumbled an "Excuse me." Satisfied, Ginny turned back to her packing and was tying up her bedroll when Fred and George came up next to her.

"Hey Gin." Fred greeted her.

"Ginny-" George added.

"Ginevra-" Ginny sent Fred a glare for that.

"Aglaril-"

"Rawien." they finished together. Ginny rolled her eyes at them.

"So, she-who-must-be-named, how many is that now?" Fred continued. George started counting on his fingers with a joking attitude.

"Well, including our nicknames and that recent brilliancy of yours a few seconds ago, Freddie, that makes a grand total of six. Only five though, if you don't count Gin." he said, first holding up six fingers and then five.

"Keep this up, sister sibling, and you'll end up with more names than Aragorn." Fred remarked. Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"Or Estel, if you prefer." George said.

"Or Strider."

"Or Longshanks."

"Or Dunedan."

"Or Elessar." George rounded out. Ginny rolled her eyes at them again.

"Get in your boats, you gits, it's time to go." she said, noticing that the rest of the Fellowship was waiting for them. The twins mock-saluted her and walked over to their respective boats. Ginny handed her pack to Gimli and clambered into the boat with him and Legolas. They determined that this was the best place for her, since she was lighter than anyone else in the Fellowship besides Legolas and the hobbits. They set off and those who weren't rowing turned back to see the elves waving goodbye. The Fellowship returned the gesture until Lothlórien was out of sight. They were on their way again.

"I have looked my last upon that which is fairest." Gimli said. "Henceforth, I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me." he said to Ginny and Legolas.

"What was it?" Legolas asked. Somehow, the two of them had become unlikely friends during their stay in Lothlórien. Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that Fred and George had something to do with it.

"I asked for one hair from her golden head." Gimli answered, "She gave me three." Ginny watched as Gimli looked off into the distance, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"And you, Ginny?" Legolas asked her. Ginny pulled the pendant out from inside her shirt to show to the elf.

"A reminder of home." she said, a small sad smile on her face.

"How so?" Legolas asked curiously. Ginny took a deep breath before answering.

"In my home, I went to a large school, a place where children with magical abilities like mine and my brothers' would go to be educated by wiser and more accomplished adults with the same powers. It was called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." she started to explain. Legolas nodded along with her and so did Gimli, who was listening in to her story.

"The school was founded a very long time ago by two wizards and two witches named Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw." she said, "They all had different views on who should be taught magic. Ravenclaw only wanted to teach the children who were wise and smart. Gryffindor favored the brave and courageous ones, Slytherin was biased towards witches and wizards who were of exclusively magical heritage, and Hufflepuff, while she would have taught any child who could perform magic, would choose the loyal and hardworking ones if she had to.

"So, as a compromise, they decided to sort the students into houses, one for each founder, according to the founder's beliefs. Even after the founder's deaths, children were sorted by this standard. I was a Gryffindor." she said.

"But what does this pendant have to do with any of that?" Gimli asked her, puzzled. Ginny gave a light smile.

"Each house had a sort of mascot or coat of arms, colors and an animal that represented it. Slytherin's colors were green and silver, and they were the serpents; Ravenclaws were the eagles, and their colors were blue and bronze; Hufflepuffs were black and yellow, represented by badgers; and Gryffindors were lions, red and gold." she finished, and the confusion on Gimli's face had dissipated.

"Well, lass, you are certainly worthy of the house of the brave." Gimli said. "Your brothers too. Were they Gryffindures as well?" he asked, butchering the name.

"Gryffin_dors_, and yes, they were." she said. Apparently, Fred had overheard her, because he shouted over to them.

"Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave at heart!" he said, drawing his sword and holding it aloft. Ginny laughed at him as he and George started singing one of the sorting hat's songs, she didn't recognize it, so it must have been from before she started her first year. The song brought on memories of Hogwarts, but for some reason, Ginny didn't feel that familiar pang of homesickness. She was at the point where she didn't cry anymore because it was over, she smiled because it happened.

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On their second day upon the Anduin, things were quiet and still. Ginny sat in the front of her boat with Gimli while Legolas rowed from the back. She heard the rushing water on both sides and she closed her eyes to listen; just listen. She heard the continuous current, the splashing of waves against the sides of the boat, the light breeze blowing the leaves on the trees that flanked them. Gradually, the sound of rustling leaves faded, and Ginny opened her eyes curiously to see two monolithic statues steadily getting closer. Her jaw dropped at their sheer size, they could only be as large as the statues' big toes! From their position next to Aragorn, Frodo, and Sam's boat, Ginny heard the ranger talking to the Ringbearer.

"The Argonath." he said, staring up at the figures with respect. "Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old, my kin..." he trailed off a little, lost in thought. Ginny looked over at him and saw that his face looked a little dejected, doubting himself in the shadow of his ancestors. Ginny wanted to reassure him, but she knew it would not be well received if she did so at this moment; too many curious ears were present.

That night, Ginny approached Aragorn once the rest of their company had laid down to rest. She checked to make sure that Legolas was truly asleep before coming up next to the ranger while he was taking the first watch of the night; Ginny was to take the second. He was sitting by the fire pit, staring into the embers pensively. She sat down beside him.

"Hey." she said.

"Hello." he replied, not taking his eyes off the flame. They sat there in silence, immersed in their respective thoughts. After a few minutes, Ginny spoke up.

"What's on your mind?" she asked softly, turning a little to face him. He closed his eyes for a second to collect himself before speaking.

"I cannot take up my place in Gondor." he said, "I do not want to, I never have. It is not my place. I am no ruler, I would fail Gondor. I cannot follow my ancestors' footsteps, they are too large for me to fill." he grimaced bitterly. "And that is what is expected of me - to rise up to that level, to forsake my way of life, to leave behind my people and take up the care of another. I cannot do it." he finished, holding his head in his hands. He looked a bit deflated, like he had been holding all that in for too long. Ginny placed a hand on his back and rubbed small circles to comfort him. _He doesn't know how wrong he is,_ she thought.

"Aragorn," she said, "look at me." He lifted his head to look at her with tired eyes. "Don't you dare psych yourself out of this. You are the best person I can think of to occupy the throne of Gondor." she said. Aragorn opened his mouth to protest, but Ginny cut him off. "No. Actually, it's better, in my opinion, that you don't want the power you're entitled to. In my experience, it's those who never wanted power but have it forced upon them who make the best leaders." she said.

"Remember how I told you about my brother Ron?" she asked. Aragorn nodded. "His best friend was thrown into a place of leadership amongst the students. He didn't want that responsibility, but he rose to the occasion, doing a better job than anyone who wanted to be in his place.

"As for failing Gondor," she said, "what have you been smoking lately? Because whatever it is has been messing with your judgement. You could never fail a nation, you wouldn't - no - couldn't let that happen!" his expression had changed little, only the addition of doubt to the mix of emotions on his face. Ginny sighed. "You are not your ancestors. You don't need to follow in their footsteps." she paused, letting him think her words over.

"Their blood runs through my veins - their imperfections, their vulnerabilities, their weaknesses." he said.

"But also their intelligence, strength, and bravery." she continued his thought. "Besides, there's plenty of time until we reach Gondor. We are just barely out of Lothlórien! You have weeks - months, even - to find your path to the throne." she said. She grasped one of Aragorn's hands and gave it a light squeeze. He was quiet for a while before speaking again.

"Thank you, Ginny." he said hoarsely.

"You're welcome." she said with a small smile. "Get some sleep," she said, "I can finish up your watch for you."

"No, you go back to sleep, you didn't need to stay awake with me." he argued, "You need your rest." Ginny gave him a disapproving glare.

"Don't try that with me, if I let you stay awake now, you'll be up all night!" she whispered, so as not to wake the others.

"I promise you, I will not be up the whole night." Aragorn tried to reassure her. Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"And who will you wake up for the next watch if you're sending me to sleep?" she asked him skeptically.

"I will wake Fred in a few hours." Aragorn said. Ginny was still skeptical, but she finally agreed to get some rest.

"Goodnight, Ginny." he said.

"Goodnight, Aragorn." she smiled at him before going back to her bedroll and laying down to rest.

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**I hope you liked it! If you're proud of me for the early update, show that pride with a review! Make me smile :)**

**On a COMPLETELY unrelated note, I got new glasses! See, I'd had my old glasses since middle school. I started wearing contacts, so I figured that the glasses weren't such a high priority. BUT, they got so bad that when driving, I couldn't read the street signs. But now I can see! I have new glasses, and they make me happy. **

**Thus ends storytime with Natalie.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hello... *ProudMudblood cowers behind her laptop in fear* It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? Heh... heh... heh... I sincerely apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter. If you don't want to read my excuse, go ahead and skip past the rest of the bold letters to the actual chapter.**

**Now. I realize that if you're actually reading my excuse, you're probably scowling at whatever screen you're reading this on, thinking _this better be good._ You are perfectly justified in that. I have been extremely busy with schoolwork and college applications. I want to go to college and get a job and be able to feed myself. Anyways, that's why it's been over a month since the last chapter. I really am sorry! :(**

**As always, I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. If I did, I wouldn't have to worry about those college apps and therefore would do a better job of updating regularly.**

**Please enjoy!**

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The next day they reached the falls of Rauros. They pulled the boats ashore and set up their small camp. Once everyone was ashore, Aragorn addressed them all.

"We cross the lake at nightfall," he said, "We'll hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." Albeit an unpleasant plan, it was a reasonable one.

"Oh, yes?" Gimli groused, "It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks!" he exclaimed. Pippin, who sat next to the dwarf, was starting to look nervous. "And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!" Ginny sighed. _Sure it'll be miserable, but it'll be worth it in the end if we manage to destroy that godforsaken lump of gold._

"That is our road," Aragorn said simply. To Ginny, it looked like he was holding back a particularly nasty retort. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Gimli." The said dwarf spluttered indignantly at Aragorn's statement, muttering about how ridiculous it is to suggest that a dwarf would need to recover his strength.

Ginny was getting a bad feeling in her gut, and it wasn't cramps. Something was wrong here.

"We should go," Legolas said to Aragorn. Apparently he was getting the same bad feeling Ginny was.

"No, the eastern shore is guarded by orcs," Aragorn disagreed.

"It's not the eastern shore that worries me," Legolas said.

Aragorn glanced at his friend, worry leaking into his expression. He pushed it back and placed a hand on the elf's shoulder in grim dismissal before leaving him a the riverbank, instead joining the rest of the Fellowship around the fire. They all sat around the flame George had conjured, watching Sam prepare a light stew for them. It was nearly done when the hobbit turned from the food to ask Frodo a question, only the Ringbearer was gone.

"Frodo?" Sam asked. "Frodo?" the others had noticed the hobbit's absence and were looking all over the campsite for some sort of track or trail.

"Oh shit..." Ginny heard one of her brothers curse from behind her.

"What?" she asked, coming to stand next to Fred. He was staring at something on the ground, so Ginny followed his line of sight to see Boromir's shield, leaning against a tree, it's owner nowhere to be found. "Shit," she echoed her brother.

"Boromir's missing, too," she told the remaining members of the Fellowship. They gathered around in a small circle, waiting for Aragorn to decide what to do. He swept one hand across his face, a very stressful look in his eyes.

"I'll go after Frodo. Legolas, Gimli, Fred, go after Boromir. George, Ginny, you stay here with the hobbits," the ranger directed. They nodded, somewhat reluctantly on Ginny and George's parts, but agreed to their positions. Ginny and George watched as the four of them dashed away into the forest and once they were almost out of sight, they turned to the hobbits.

"Right, we're not staying here," Ginny said. George sent her a proud grin. "I don't know about you, Georgie, but I'm going after our dear and slightly insane leader." _He really needs to learn not to go off on his own. Sure he's badass, but everyone needs backup_. "Now, you three, I think you can take care of yourselves, yeah? Just promise me one thing, if any of you run off, don't run off alone, got it?" she said seriously. The hobbits nodded in understanding. The sounds of metal clashing together reached their ears. Ginny's eyes widened. She hurriedly gave each hobbit a hug before running off after Aragorn, George a step behind her.

They crashed through the underbrush, all thoughts of secrecy thrown against the wind, only caring about reaching Aragorn before it was too late. They followed their ears, the sound leading them to a small ruin where Aragorn stood, fighting off countless Uruk-Hai single-handedly. Ginny huffed in exasperation, drawing her sword and running to his side.

"You-" she slashed at an Uruk's ribs, "complete-" she ducked under the same Uruk's crude sword, "idiot!" she gutted the Uruk, moving onto another one. Mingled with the clangs of metal and thuds of fallen bodies, Ginny thought she heard Aragorn's deep laughter. She shook her head at him, continuing her fight. She got into her rhythm of battle, not paying much attention to the things around her besides her enemies. That was, until she saw an Uruk about to cleave George's skull in half.

"George!" she screamed at him and he moved out of the way, but not far enough; the Uruk's blade caught his ear, cutting it clean off. Ginny gasped and she started to fight her way towards her brother.

"Aragorn!" she yelled. He looked over at her for a split second, showing that he'd heard her. "Cover me!" she yelled at him. He nodded and fought his way over to the Weasleys, where Ginny was hastily bandaging George's head with a strip of cloth from the hem of her shirt. _That is never going to grow back..._ she thought.

"Fred knows more about healing than I do. He'll fix you up," she said to her injured brother. She managed to staunch the bleeding and George recklessly got back to his feet, fighting as best he could despite being shaky on his feet.

They heard the sounds of battle coming from another direction and Ginny turned her head to see Legolas, Gimli, and Fred felling Uruk-Hai as quickly and efficiently as they could. They were making good progress when they heard a horn sound.

"Boromir..." Ginny heard Aragorn mutter.

"Aragorn, go!" Legolas yelled at the man. He nodded and ran towards the sound of the horn, killing any Uruk who stood in his way. Ginny cursed to herself and ran after him, leaving George in Fred's capable hands.

"Oh no you don't," she said once se caught up with him. "You are _not_ running off on your own again," she said as strongly as she could while running. He gritted his teeth at her words. He wouldn't be able to bear the guilt should harm come to her because she followed him. He was frustrated by her stubbornness, but he knew her well enough not to try to dissuade her. They ran and ran until they reached a clearing where a lone Uruk with a bow was poised to fire into Boromir's chest. Aragorn let out a loud cry and charged at the Uruk. He managed to get him away from Boromir and now had him engaged in a fight to the death. Ginny ran to Boromir's side, gasping when she saw three arrows protruding from his chest. She knelt down next to him and made to pull one of the arrows out, but he shook his head.

"No. Leave it," he said weakly. Ginny looked at him sadly. She never wished more than then that she'd learned more about healing magic. If she had, she could save him. Without magic, nothing could be done. She heard a disgusting squelching sound and sharply looked up to see the Aragorn's blade stuck through the Uruk's stomach and the Uruk using its remaining arm to pull itself along the blade, closer to Aragorn. The ranger pulled his sword from the Uruk's body, swiftly beheading it. Once the creature was dead, Aragorn stuck Anduril in the dirt and joined Ginny beside Boromir.

"They took the little ones, Merry and Pippin," Boromir said, a tone of guilt in his voice. Ginny felt her shoulders slump. _No... No, no, no!_ "Frodo - where is Frodo?"

"I let Frodo go," Aragorn said softly.

"Then you have done what I could not," Boromir said laboriously, "I tried to take it from him," he said. He made a violent jerking movement and Ginny gently pushed him back down.

"The Ring is now beyond our reach," Aragorn assured him. Boromir ruefully shook his head.

"Forgive me, I did not see. I have failed you all," Boromir protested. He sounded so disappointed with himself, genuinely sorry for his actions. Aragorn made to remove the arrows, but Boromir protested again. "No, leave it! It is over. The world of men will fall and all will come to darkness. My city will fall to ruin." Tears started to well up in Ginny's eyes, but she blinked them away stubbornly.

"I do not know what strength is in my blood," Aragorn said, throwing a quick glance to Ginny, "but I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail." Boromir relaxed the tiniest bit at Aragorn's words.

"_Our_ people," Boromir repeated. Aragorn nodded. "Our people." His breathing started getting heavy, deep breaths, difficult breaths. He looked down at his right, and Aragorn and Ginny followed his gaze to see him reaching for the handle of his sword. Aragorn placed it in Boromir's hand, closing his fist around it. _He will die with sword in hand..._

"I would have followed you, my brother," Boromir said quietly, "my captain," he continued, "my King," he finished before going still. Ginny had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying out, though that did nothing for the wetness in her eyes. She reached over to Boromir and gently closed his eyes.

"Rest, Boromir, son of Denethor, in the halls of your fathers," Ginny said.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor," Aragorn said, taking Boromir's head in his hands. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Boromir's forehead. Ginny furiously blinked back her tears, but despite her efforts, a few of them escaped. Aragorn glanced over at her, and upon seeing the tear tracks on her face, moved so he was next to her and pulled her into a hug. Ginny welcomed his embrace, burying her face in his shirt. He rubbed her back softly, and once she was calm and the tears had passed, she pulled away. The two of them rose to their feet and turned to find their companions standing there, heads bowed in respect for Boromir. Legolas was muttering something in elvish, _a blessing_, Ginny guessed - she couldn't hear him clearly - and Gimli held his helm in his hands, his eyes trained on the Gondorian. Fred was supporting George's weight, though the latter twin didn't look anywhere near as weak as before. _Blood-replenishing potion, maybe?_ Ginny had learned by now not to question the twins and their methods, so she let it slide. Although, she did feel the need to check his wound. She walked to George's side, taking his other arm around her shoulders, just like Fred had done on the other side.

"How're you feeling, Georgie?" she asked. George thought for a moment before answering.

"Saintlike," he finally said. His voice was distant, his eyes were staring off into the distance, unfocused. _Huh?_

"What do you mean, saintlike? What's wrong with him?" she directed the last part at Fred, who didn't answer her.

"I'm _holey,_ Gin. Geddit?" he said with a little grin, pointing at the hole where his ear had been. Ginny couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face at that.

"Of all the world of ear-related humor, you go for 'I'm holey,' " she said, shaking her head in mock shame. "You're pathetic," she said, her little grin still in place.

* * *

The remaining six members of the Fellowship stood solemnly at the bank of the Anduin. On the river was their fallen companion, the weapons of his enemies at his feet, sword in hand, and cloven horn above his head. They watched as he floated downstream, as he was carried away by the river, being taken over the Falls of Rauros. Once he went over, the Fellowship tore their eyes from the falls, instead turning to each other.

"And what now? Frodo and Sam are gone, the Ring with them," Fred said pessimistically.

"The Fellowship has broken. We have failed," Gimli said, his voice and expression dejected.

"Not if we hold true to each other," Aragorn disagreed, placing hands on Ginny's and Legolas' shoulders. "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to death," there were nods of agreement between the remaining Fellowship. "We travel light," he said, "Let's hunt some Orc," Ginny grinned at him, following a step behind him as he ran off into the forest, following the Uruk's trail. From behind them, Ginny heard Gimli and her brothers cheering. She couldn't help the smile on her face.

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**Thank you so much for reading and putting up with me and my irregular updates. I can't predict when the next chapter will be posted, I have to finish writing it first...**

**Also, I've been reading over the earlier chapters of this story, and I realized that I really need to edit them. It's only been six-ish months since I posted chapter 1, but there's been a noticeable change in my writing and its quality. I don't know when that'll happen, but... yeah. Also, I've been on a bit of a Les Mis kick. SO excited for the new movie! :D**

**Another movie I'm excited for... The Hobbit! My dad gave me permission to go to the midnight premiere! :D I'm going with my Dungeons and Dragons group... Yup. I'm a geek. Whatever, geeks are awesome. **

**Okay, I'm done now. Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Thank you so much for your support in the form of reviews, follows, and favorites :) Especially Ashleigh Piccinino and Sigy Artyn- thank you so much for your reviews! You gave me the motivation to post this :P**

**Please enjoy my late Christmas present to you!**

**(note: Thank you so much Sigy Artyn for pointing out an error - it's fixed now!)**

* * *

"Point me, Merry and Pippin," Fred cast, his wand flat in his palm. He stood at the head of the party, next to Aragorn and his sister, trying to discern which direction to go in. His wand spun in a few circles before stopping, pointing straight ahead of them. Aragorn nodded in confirmation and set off again, the rest of the Fellowship right along with him.

* * *

"Point me, Merry and Pippin." This time, it was Ginny who cast the spell as they stood upon a large slab of rock, no tracks left in sight. Her wand at first spun lazily in her hand, then it sped up, spinning frantically, never stopping, never slowing. "Damn it..." Ginny ended the spell, stowing her wand back in its holster. "Saruman has placed spells on the Uruk-Hai. I can't track them with magic." she explained. Aragorn nodded grimly before crouching low to the ground and laying down on the rock, his ear pressed to the hard surface. Ginny and Legolas waited patiently for Aragorn to discern their course and for the other three to catch up, keeping sharp eyes on their surroundings.

"Their pace has quickened," Aragorn said. "They have caught our scent. Hurry!" he continued, standing up and taking off, Legolas hot on his heels. Ginny lingered a bit, waiting for one of her brothers to catch up. Fred came around the corner, saw her there and sent her a grin. Ginny graced herself to run and fell into pace with Fred once he was next to her. They ran like this for days and nights, their ranks fluctuating as they went, Aragorn occasionally stopping to check the trail. On their third day, they came upon a narrow valley, with tall vertical rock faces on either side and grassy dirt underneath their feet. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Aragorn stop and kneel down to pick something up. Ginny almost ran past him, but stopped just short of doing so. Ginny knelt beside him to look at what he'd found, seeing a small pin, in the shape of a leaf. The leaf itself was green and the veins were silver - Leaves of Lóthlorien, identical to those worn by the rest of the Fellowship. Aragorn wiped off the dirt with his thumb.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," he said. Legolas came up beside them.

"They may yet be alive." he said hopefully. Ginny and Aragorn nodded.

"Less than a day ahead of us, come!" he said, running ahead, Ginny and Legolas right behind him. What couldn't have been much more than a few miles later, the six hunters came upon a vast plain of grasses an boulders.

"Rohan, home of the horselords," Aragorn said. "There's something strange at work here, some evil gives speed to these creatures; sets its will against us." he looked to Ginny for confirmation.

"Saruman is using his magic to push them ahead, to keep their speed," she agreed. As she and Aragorn were talking, Legolas dashed ahead of them, looking out on the plain.

"Legolas, what do you see?" Came George's voice from just a little bit behind Ginny and Aragorn. The latter two turned back to see that George, Fred, and Gimli had caught up to them. Their attention was turned back forward at the sound of Legolas's voice.

"The Uruks turn north east." he said. "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" _Shit..._

"Saruman." Aragorn muttered to himself. Ahead, Legolas took off again, followed by the rest of them.

They ran through that night, and by the morning, they were in the midst of Rohan, the sun rising in the east. The sunrise was a dark scarlet, almost sinister. It gave Ginny an uneasy feeling. _This can't be good... _

"A red sun rises." Legolas said up ahead, confirming her thoughts, "Blood has been spilled this night." _As long as it's the blood of Uruk-Hai, not Hobbits._ Their chase continued into the afternoon, when they reached a wide field bordered with stone. Ginny noticed Legolas turn his head sharply, but she couldn't tell why - until a few seconds later. She heard a rumbling sound, _hooves_, and the faint neighing of a horse. Aragorn ushered them behind a large boulder, placing a protective hand on the small of Ginny's back as he did so. They huddled behind the boulder, warily awaiting the coming riders. The Fellowship watched as hundreds of Rohirric horsemen thundered past, breathing a sigh of relief when they'd passed.

_Wait, what the hell are you doing?_ Ginny thought, watching Aragorn as he got up from his crouched position and strode into the open, calling out to the horsemen.

"Riders of Rohan!" he shouted, "What news from the mark?"

The Fellowship joined him, standing together, and watched with trepidation as the leader of these riders signaled and the mass of horses and riders gracefully turned back around on the slope, coming back to them. The horsemen spiraled around the six, and as they got closer, Ginny was encircled by the males of the Fellowship, much to her chagrin. She tried to wedge her way in between her brothers, but they stood firmly in place. She scowled at the backs of their ginger heads, instead tying to stand between Aragorn and Gimli. She got the same response. She huffed, assuming Legolas would be the same, and finally stood still behind Gimli so she could at least see the now still riders. Spears were directed at them from all angles and as her eyes were scanning the sharp weapons, the leader of these riders spoke up from his place in front of Aragorn.

"What business do men, an elf, a dwarf, and a-" he paused, his eyes falling on Ginny. She met his gaze, glaring up at him. "-woman have in the Riddermark?" he demanded. Ginny smirked to herself, glad to have made him lose some composure. "Speak quickly!" he commanded impatiently._ You gave us, what, one second to answer? Hold your hippogriffs..._ Apparently, Gimli was just as irritated.

"Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine," the dwarf said gruffly, looking up at the rider. The man took on a steely visage, glaring at Gimli as he dismounted and strode over to look down at him.

"I would cut off your head, _dwarf_, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," he said scathingly. _Oh, HELL no!_ Ginny pulled her wand from her holster and had it pointed at the man's nose before anyone noticed she'd done so, while simultaneously, Legolas drew and nocked an arrow, aiming it at the rider's face.

"You would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas said angrily from the other side of Aragorn.

"I'd suggest you take that back," Ginny said just as menacingly. The riders encircling them advanced ever so slightly, but it was enough to have spearpoints less than a foot away from any one face of the Fellowship. Tension hung, suspended, in the air as they all waited for someone to move. Eventually, Aragorn placed a hand on Legolas's arm, making him lower his bow. Taking that as a cue, George did the same for Ginny.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn," the ranger began diplomatically. "This is Gimli, son of Glóin, Legolas of the woodland realm, and Fredrick, George, and Ginevra, sons and daughter of Arthur," he introduced them. Fred and Ginny unhappily suppressed their irritation at the use of their full names, knowing full well by now just how trigger-happy these riders were. "We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden, your king," Aragorn finished.

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," the rider said. "Not even his own kin." The rider took off his gilded helmet to uncover his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair. The other riders took that as a cue and raised their spears. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over his lands," the rider said. "My company are those loyal to Rohan; and for that, we are banished."

"The White Wizard is cunning," he said, glaring at Aragorn menacingly. Ginny narrowed her eyes at the rider in a mild threat, but a threat nonetheless. The rider must have noticed, for he turned to her when he continued. "He walks here and there, they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked," he said. He turned to look directly at Legolas. "And everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

"We are no spies," Aragorn was quick to assure the rider. "We track a party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain," he said. "They have taken two of our friends captive," he finished, his voice almost catching as he did so. Ginny discreetly stepped up close behind him, brushing her shoulder against his in the smallest gesture of comfort she could.

"The Uruks are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night," the rider said surely.

"But there were two hobbits, did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli spoke up urgently. At the rider's look of confusion at the term, the twins rushed to explain.

"They would be small," Fred started.

"Only children to your eyes," George finished. The rider shook his head.

"We left none alive," he said. He turned his head towards the west, stretching out an arm to point to a column of smoke rising in the distance. "We piled the carcasses and burned them." Ginny couldn't hold back the little gasp tha came out of her mouth, quickly covering her traitorous lips with her hand. She felt Aragorn's hand searching for hers, and she grasped it, grateful for the small comfort. The Fellowship was still with shock and it was Gimli who recovered first.

"Dead?" he asked in disbelief, grief coming out in his tone of voice. The rider nodded, but his eyes looked truly sorrowful and apologetic.

"I am sorry," he said sincerely. He paused for a bit, waiting for someone to say something, but there was nothing. Coming to a conclusion, he whistled sharply, turning his head away from the Fellowship. "Hasufel, Arod, Léobuhr!" he called. The ring of riders split whereupon three grand horses came to the man's outstretched hand and were then transferred to the hands of Aragorn, Legolas, and George. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters," he said. "Farewell." He left them, going to his horse, replacing his helm atop his golden hair, and mounting his steed. "Look for your friends, but do not trust a hope," he cautioned them. "It is forsaken in these lands."

"We ride north!" he ordered his men. The riders dispersed, following their leader. The Fellowship watched until they were out of sight and then turned to each other and the horses. Fred and George quickly mounted Hasufel and Legolas removed Arod's saddle before hopping onto the steed's back. Aragorn helped Gimli up onto Arod behind Legolas before mounting Léobuhr, followed by Ginny. They set of with Aragorn and Ginny at the head, the others right behind them. Ginny wrapped her arms around the ranger's waist to keep her place in the saddle, glad for the respite that sitting gave her. She rested her head on Aragorn's back, letting herself think. _Merry? Pippin? Dead? No... they can't be. They're too... alive. But... what if they __did__ get killed? What if the Uruks killed them, what if they were underfoot when the riders stormed the camp? _She shook herself out of those dismal thoughts. _No... they're clever. They can find their way out of anything. _

_Can't they?_

Ginny's musings were stopped when an acrid smell met her nostrils. _Burning flesh..._ Ginny lifted her head to see that they had reached the burning pile of Uruk corpses. She dismounted, followed by Aragorn, and simply stood there. Shock kept her immobile as the others circled the pile, searching for any and all signs of the two hobbits. Ginny was brought out of her daze by Gimli's voice.

"It's one of their wee belts," he said. Ginny looked over at the dwarf to see him holding one of the hobbit's belts from the Lady Galadriel with the intricate dagger sheaths. She felt her knees weaken below her and she fell to the ground, kneeling before the stinking, smoking pile. She heard Legolas murmuring something, but it was too faint for her to decipher. Her attention was taken from the pile once more - by Aragorn this time - as the ranger kicked the head of an Uruk with all his strength, letting out an anguished yell and falling to his knees. Ginny had never seen him lose his composure like that, and while it scared her a bit, it stirred empathy in her. She found the strength to rise to her feet and come next to Aragorn, crouching beside him and placing a hand lightly between his shoulder blades. He kept his gaze on the ground, not trusting himself to keep his slight hold on his composure when confronted with Ginny's grief-stricken face. So instead, he studied the ground beneath him. His eyes ran over gravel and dirt, finally settling on an indent in the grass.

"A hobbit lay here," he said, gently fingering the spot. "And the other." He examined the ground, his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly with concentration. "They crawled," he said, curiosity creeping into his voice. He got to his feet, remaining crouched to follow the tracks. "Their hands were bound," he continued to follow, Ginny close behind. "Their bonds were cut!" Aragorn said excitedly, gently plucking a severed rope from the dirt and matching up the two cut ends. He got to his feet, following a trail only visible to his sharply trained eyes. "They ran over here," he said, now drawing the attention to the others. "They were followed." By now, the twins were following too. "The tracks lead away from the battle!" he said. The entire Fellowship was behind him now, listening intently to the ranger's observations. Aragorn came to a stop at the edge of a forest, the branches looming darkly overhead. "And into Fangorn Forest," he finished, trailing off a bit.

"Fangorn?" Gimli asked worriedly. "What madness drew them in there?" Ginny shook her head. She didn't know for sure - none of them did - but there was a general feeling of foreboding in the air as they stood before the trees, under the branches. They must have stood there for a good minute before anyone made to enter the wood. Aragorn took a deep breath and strode forward confidently, the others following right behind.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**I haven't taken the time lately to thank all of my reviewers, followers, and favoriters, so I'm going to do that now! HUGE thanks to everybody who's supported me since chapter 1. (I don't mean to be impersonal with this, but a huge list is gonna be the best way to do this.)**

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**ON another note... Have you seen the Hobbit yet? I've seen it twice now, and I _loved_ it! If you're interested, and you loved Kili as much as I did, check out this new one-shot I posted called "Goodbye."**

**To those of you who celebrate it, Merry Christmas! **

**To all of you, Happy New Year! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I feel really bad... it's been almost a month since chapter 16. I'm sorry and I really don't have any excuse.**

**(I realized that I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter...)**

**I don't own Harry Potter or anything of Tolkien's. If I did, I wouldn't have any English homework to procrastinate doing because I wouldn't have to go to school because I'd be richer than I could ever imagine.**

**But alas, I _do_ have English homework, and I'm procrastinating doing that by posting this chapter for you. I hope you're happy.**

**Seriously though, I hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

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Aragorn continued to follow the trail left behind by Merry and Pippin, every now and then stopping to crouch and examine the faint prints in the dirt ad foliage. Ginny couldn't ignore the foreboding feeling that surrounded her, closing in, almost stuffy. The air felt unnaturally close and thick, like an invisible fog surrounded them all. She warily eyed the forest around her, fully on edge and ridiculously jumpy. She heard someone spit from behind her and turned to see Gimli with a disgruntled expression on his face.

"Orc blood," the dwarf spat, wiping his fingers clean on his beard. Now, if one had been able to see the faces of all three Weasleys present in that moment, it would've been extremely difficult not to laugh at the way they all raised an eyebrow the same way at exactly the same time.

"How do you know," Fred started, "what Orc blood tastes like?" George finished. Ginny turned her head to better hear the story, but in her inattention to her feet and where they were being placed, she tripped over a tree root and would've fallen on her face had Aragorn not caught her by the arm.

"Thanks," she said. They walked onward, stopping every so often for Aragorn to find the trail again.

"These are strange tracks," he muttered as he knelt down before a large imprint in the ground. Ginny knelt beside him to examine it, finding an extremely large circular print with odd tendrils extending from all angles. Behind them, Legolas said something about how old the forest was, and almost in response, the groaning and wheezing sounds of the trees crescendoed to a roar. Ginny stood up, her eyes scanning the trees warily. She turned back the way thy came to see Gimli holding up his axe in a paranoid manner, bringing it higher as the trees got louder.

"Hey Gimli," Fred said, getting the dwarf's attention.

"Lower your axe," George continued, motioning for him to do so.

"You're scaring the trees, I think," Ginny finished the thought her brothers started. She looked to Legolas for confirmation of her guess and he nodded.

"The trees have feelings, my friend," Legolas said to Gimli. The dwarf complied, and the party journeyed on. Ginny fell back to walk with her brothers and as she looked up at the trees, she couldn't help but be reminded of the flora at Hogwarts.

"Kinda makes you miss the Forbidden Forest, huh," Ginny remarked, commenting on just the sinister atmosphere of Fangorn. The twins laughed in agreement.

"At least there's no Whomping Willow," George said. Ginny couldn't help but feel that George had just jinxed himself.

"Bet you're wrong," Fred disagreed.

"Seriously? You bet there's a Whomping Willow in Arda?" George's fired back.

"Well," Fred consented, dragging out the "L", "maybe not a _Whomping Willow_, but moving trees at least. Real, proper, moving trees," he settled on.

"Fine," George said before lowering his voice. "Loser has to successfully pull a trick - approved by Gin -"

"Hey! I never said I'd be a part of this!" Ginny protested.

"- approved by Gin - on..." George plowed on, but paused, mentally debating who to victimize, "a person of the victor's choice," he finished. Fred raised his eyebrows.

"Deal." Fred extended his hand to George and the twins shook on it, sealing the bet. Ginny shook her head at them in mock disappointment, betrayed by the grin on her face.

"Aragorn, _something is out there_," Legolas said urgently in elvish. The elf rushed to a good vantage point, followed by Aragorn, Ginny, the twins, and Gimli.

"_What do you see?_" Aragorn asked in the same tongue. Gimli looked ready to protest the language barrier, but Fred noticed this and stopped the Dwarf before he could do so. Legolas must have noticed too, for his speech returned to the common tongue.

"The White Wizard approaches," he said, nodding in the correct direction. Ginny carefully unsheathed one of her daggers and in her peripheral vision, noticed the others readying their weapons as well.

"Do not let him speak," Aragorn cautioned, "he will put a spell on us." They nodded in understanding. Ginny caught Aragorn's eye to see them hardened with determination. "We must be quick." He mouthed the word "one," then "two," and on "three," the six hunters whirled about, throwing daggers and axes, shooting arrows and spells, and drawing swords for a battle. But none of their attacks had any effect. Everything bounced off of some sort of shield and the hilt of Aragorn's sword heated up instantaneously, almost burning his hands before be dropped it. Bright light shone from their target, nearly blinding them. They shielded their eyes from the light for a few seconds before it faded enough to be bearable.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits," came a deep voice from the light.

"Where are they?" Ginny asked commandingly.

"They passed this way, the day before yesterday," the voice said casually, but it only put them more on edge. "They met someone they... did not expect. Does that comfort you?" Ginny felt her jaw drop incredulously. _No! Of course it doesn't!_

"Who are you?" Aragorn demanded. "Show yourself!" he commanded the figure, Aragorn's own voice powerful, strong, and wary. They watched in trepidation as the figure in the light moved towards them and they all tensed, preparing themselves for a fight should the need arise. The light diminished, revealing a face they hadn't seen since Moria. But he was different. Gone were the old and tattered grey robes and pointed hat; in their place were robes of pure white and a pristine white staff to match.

"Gandalf?" Fred breathed in disbelief.

"How - how are you - how did you -" George started, tripping over his words and finally cutting himself off. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny noticed Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas kneeling before the wizard, but she was too stunned to move. She vaguely heard Legolas and Gimli apologizing in the background, but her attention was on her previously fallen mentor.

"But - you fell!" Aragorn said, puzzled and requesting explanation.

"Through fire," Gandalf began, "and water," he continued. "From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought the Balrog of Morgoth," he recounted. "Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside.

"Darkness took me," he said, his tone falling a bit, "and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and every day was as long as a life-age on earth," he said. "But it was not the end," he contradicted himself. "I felt _life_ in me again," he explained. "I've been sent back," he said, "until my task is done." He finished with a small smile.

"Gandalf," Ginny and Aragorn said together. Gandalf's face took on a puzzled expression, as if he was trying to recall some very old memory that you can vaguely picture but not quite clearly enough.

"Gandalf?" he asked, that puzzled expression coming out in his voice. After a moment, it was replaced by satisfaction and clarity. "Yes," he said, "that is what they used to call me," he recalled. His face now took on that infuriating look that was so familiar to Ginny. The one that emitted an air of his knowledge, the one that said that Gandalf knew something you didn't and he was _fully_ aware of that. "Gandalf the Grey," he continued, "that was my name." His eyes twinkled in that Dumbledore-ish way and he grinned at Ginny and Aragorn. "I am Gandalf the White," he corrected, "and I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide," he said. Gandalf ignored their reactions and went ahead, leading the six hunters out of Fangorn.

"One stage of your journey is over," Gandalf spoke as he walked ahead if them all, "but another begins," he said. "You must travel to Edoras with all speed."

"Edoras?" Gimli asked disbelievingly, "That is no short distance!" Fred and George nodded in agreement.

"We hear of trouble in Rohan," Aragorn explained to Gandalf at the head of their makeshift column. "It goes ill with the king."

"Yes," Gandalf agreed, "and it will not be easily cured."

"Then we have run all this way for nothing!" Gimli grumbled from the back. "How we can leave those poor hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested-" as Gimli insulted the forest, the branches and trunks groaned at him in warning. "I mean, charming - quite charming - forest," Gimli corrected himself hurriedly. Fred and George laughed at his quick save.

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn," Gandalf said, explaining to the company why the hobbits were to be left in Fangorn and turning around to better address them all. "A great power has been sleeping here for many years," he said. "The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. _Really, the only difference is the color of his robes and the absence of his hat_, she thought. _Still as cryptic as ever..._

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend," Aragorn said with a rare smile. Gandalf made a little questioning noise, prompting an explanation.

"You still speak in riddles," Ginny obliged, having been in the same train of thought as Aragorn. Gandalf smiled and chuckled at their observation. The wizard allowed them a few moments of merriment before growing serious again.

"A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days," he said. Well, that's specific. "The Ents are going to wake up," he said. _Ents?_ Ginny shot a questioning look back to Fred and George, only to be met with the same confused expression she wore. "And find that they are strong."

"Strong?" Gimli remarked, answered again by the groaning of the trees around him. "Oh that's good," he said a bit shakily, still eyeing the foliage warily.

"So stop your fretting, master dwarf," Gandalf snapped at the dwarf, "Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be!" he said before resuming his lead. Ginny heard Gimli clambering over roots and rocks to catch up.

"This new Gandalf's grumpier than the old one!" Gimli said, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh at that remark. It was so true! She didn't notice, but a small smile crept onto Aragorn's face at the sound of her laughter. They walked on, following Gandalf, until they reached the edge if the forest. As soon as they exited, Ginny felt like an extreme weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt free, almost as if she'd been submerged in water that whole time in Fangorn, and she had finally resurfaced. The air was lighter, easier on her lungs, and the light! The light was such a welcome change from the dark and shadowed visibility within the wood.

Gandalf stepped out from their little rank and whistled. It wasn't the kind of whistle you hear from a drunken man when he sees a woman across the street, nor was it the kind of whistle one makes when trying to get a group's attention. This was a clear and ringing whistle, starting on a beautifully high note, then dropping almost an octave, the tone rich with vibrato. They waited for a few seconds for something to happen and were not disappointed. They heard a horse's neigh in the distance, shortly followed by a pure white horse galloping towards them. A little ways behind it were three more horses, three that looked awfully familiar to the six hunters.

"That is one of the Maeras," Legolas said, concerning the pure white horse, "unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Ginny shook her head. No spells going on here. Once the horses were close, they slowed down, going to their masters. Hasufel went to the twins, Arod came to Legolas, Léobuhr trotted over to Ginny, and the pure white horse stopped in front of Gandalf.

"Shadowfax," the wizard said, striking the horse's nose, "he is the lord of all horses." Gandalf ran his fingers through his horse's mane, looking at Shafowfax as one would look at a best friend. "And has been my friend through many dangers." Gandalf swung atop his horse and looked down at the others expectantly. Fred and George grinned at the wizard and mounted Hasufel, trotting over beside him. Ginny mounted Léobuhr and Aragorn helped Gimli up onto Arod behind Legolas before joining her. They all came up next to Gandalf, awaiting his command.

"Let us be off," he said, digging his heels into Shadowfax's flanks and shooting off towards Edoras, the others right behind.

They rode into the night and made a small camp. Despite the rocky and gravelly space her bedroll was set out on, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit her makeshift pillow. They had gone nearly four days without sleep and it had taken quite a toll on her energy levels. It had only been adrenaline keeping her going for those long hours and now that they had a chance to rest in relative peace, she took that chance wholeheartedly. She slipped into blissful sleep that night only to be awakened what seemed like minutes later. Alas, her perception of time was far from correct.

"Ginny, Ginny, wake up," someone was shaking her shoulder gently, trying to rouse her from sleep. She grumbled and rolled over, away from the offending person trying to separate her from her beloved sleep. "Ginny, you must wake up. Gandalf wishes to reach Edoras by the afternoon," the person said. Aragorn, Ginny identified the voice.

"No... I dn wanna gidup," she mumbled grumpily. The hand on her shoulder disappeared and for a second, Ginny reveled in her triumph. It was a terribly short second though, for she felt a cold draft as her blanket was taken from her and heard someone directing a few others. She barely registered the arms beneath her, but if she had, she surely would have stopped this. Before she knew it, she was being lifted off the ground and subsequently set on her feet. That woke her up. Ginny blinked the sleep out of her eyes before she turned them on Aragorn, who had woken her up against her will.

"Was that really necessary?" She asked him tiredly, yawning as she spoke. Aragorn quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Would you have been happier had I let your brothers wake you?" he asked her. Ginny's eyes widened, the yawn threatening to escape her mouth dying in her throat.

"I thought not," Aragorn said with a rare smirk. Ginny rolled her eyes at him and slapped him on the arm.

"Oh let's just go already," she said, turning around and crouching down to clear away her bedroll and pack her things. Once she was packed, she joined Aragorn on Léobuhr's back, noting that she was the last one and therefore was holding them up, and they set off once again.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**I'd also like to personally thank ArthursShadow (previously Sigy Artyn) for the kind PMs and reviews :) You really are amazing. (Insert heart that fanfiction would just turn into a 3) **

**Also, thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed since the last chapter was posted! When I first posted this, I never expected to get 38 favorites, 66 follows, and 59 reviews by chapter 16 alone!_  
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**Thank you so much! *internet hug***

**Also, on a completely unrelated note... I've recently become engulfed in the addictive vortex that is tumblr. If you're on tumblr, I'd love more followers... *hint hint* But really, if you want to, you can follow me on tumblr at themagentacrayon . tumblr . com. I've really only got my fandoms on there... those being Tolkien, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Merlin, and more.**

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